Ian Shadwell's Slush Pile: a satirical novel of literature, fame and trivia nights
Review on ABC Radio, Wednesday 13 August 2014
The 'slush pile' is what publishers call unsolicited manuscripts; and it's what Ian Shadwell has called his satirical novel of the literary scene.
His character, Michael Ardenne, is Australia's 'other' Booker Prize Winner. The problem is, he hasn't been able to write anything since that long-ago win, and it's not so easy to dine out on the fame it brought him. He does win jugs of beer at the local trivia night, in Bundeena, in Sydney's south, but that's hardly the same.
He needs to write another novel. In desperation, he agrees to assess the slush pile. In it, he finds an utterly compelling manuscript.
What could possibly go wrong from here?