Tag: laura buzo

Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo

There’s a point on Jindarra street where you crest the hill and suddenly the city skyline appears on the horizon. Even on hazy days you can see the figures of the buildings, straight and tall, taking more than is their due. Far from the quiet desperation of Elizabethtown. Not so quiet at times.

When I crest that hill I always think of Lara and Daniel, high up in Governor Phillip Tower, seated in the offices of their respective firms. Then I draw a line south across the city, passing Tim’s office near Central Station, down to Abigail at St George Hospital. I extend the line west, pausing to glance down toward Canberra where I think Liam and his girlfriend are still living, and then link them all back to me in Elizabethtown – Befftown – where Nick and I are hurtling alone Jindarra Street in the work car.

There’s a point on Jindarra street where you crest the hill and suddenly the city skyline appears on the horizon. Even on hazy days you can see the figures of the buildings, straight and tall, taking more than is their due. Far from the quiet desperation of Elizabethtown. Not so quiet at times.

Holier Than Thou

When I crest that hill I always think of Lara and Daniel, high up in Governor Phillip Tower, seated in the offices of their respective firms. Then I draw a line south across the city, passing Tim’s office near Central Station, down to Abigail at St George Hospital. I extend the line west, pausing to glance down toward Canberra where I think Liam and his girlfriend are still living, and then link them all back to me in Elizabethtown – Befftown – where Nick and I are hurtling alone Jindarra Street in the work car.

Holly is a social worker in inner Sydney. She is teamed with Nick, a nurse and together they make visits to sick and addicted people in the community. Holly works in community health where funds are always being squeezed and burnout is high. So it’s good that she has a loving partner and good friends to give her balance in her life. Even if some of her friends have sold their souls to work for the corporate dollar. Holly is carrying her own troubles so deep that she hardly recognises what it is that’s so unsettling her. Slowly, her past bubbles to the surface, robbing her of happiness and sleep, pulling her backwards.

The title, Holier Than Thou, is a play on Holly’s name, and the name her colleague Nick uses. It’s a reference to her passion to help others and her fiercely-held ideologies. She most wants to help those who have no resources, financial or emotional to help themselves. She wants to fix the world. Since she was a child, that’s what she’s wanted. Holly tells her own story, gradually revealing snippets of her past that may not be finished with. In particular, she focuses on a boy who was a friend but who now seems lost to her and to their other friends. She’s sure she can fix the pass. There are themes of love and loss, friendship and lust. A great read set in contemporary Sydney.

Holier Than Thou, Laura Buzo
Allen& Unwin 2012
ISBN: 9781741759983

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Good Oil, by Laura Buzo

‘I’m writing a play,’ says Chris, leaning over the counter of my cash register. ‘It’s called Death of a Customer. Needless to say, it’s set here.’ He jerks his head towards the aisles lined with groceries and lit with harsh fluorescent bars.
It takes me a moment to place the reference, but then I remember Death of a Salesman from when Dad took me to see the play last year.
‘Sounds good.’
‘Want to be in it?’
I nod eagerly.
‘Cool. We’re going to the pub after work to workshop it. You should come.’

Chris calls Woolies ‘The Land of Dreams’ and when 15 year old Amelia starts working there, she is happy to agree. Chris, trainer and fellow check out operator is her dream man. There’s only one problem. Or maybe two. He’s six years older than her and she can’t decide whether he thinks about her in ‘that way’ at all or whether she’s just a mate he likes to talk to. They get along so well, it’s not long before she’s developed a crush the size of China. Amelia could talk to her sister but she’s at university in the country. Her mother seems too weighed down by life in general and she hardly talks to her father at all. She does talk to her friend, Penny but Penny has no answers for her.

First love can be very painful particularly when it’s seems almost impossible. Amelia is a very real character. She’s got great insights and strong opinion on some things, but she doesn’t fit with the cool kids. Not that she really wants to, but she’d like a slice of their pie. She’d like the confidence to take what she’d really like. The title Good Oil comes from a promise Chris makes her when she starts work. He’ll give her the ‘good oil’, tell her what’s what. Only he has challenges of his own that he hides beneath his cheery exterior. The first half of Good Oil is first person in Amelia’s voice, but the second half alternates between Chris’ diaries, letters and Amelia’s first person narrative. Different fonts are used to avoid confusion. Good Oil is a realistic novel about the pain of unrequited love. Recommended for mid-secondary readers and beyond.

Good Oil, Laura Buzo
Allen & Unwin 2010
ISBN:9781741759976

Good Oil

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.