lost for words?

[adelaidesean]

Amanda is reading again for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, which means we get to take a quick survey of what blurbs have been offering in the last two years of Australian literature.

Family secrets are perennial, of course, along with small country towns, fractious siblings and romantic blasts from the pasts. Some things will never change.

This year a newcomer to the field has leapt out at us.

“loss and survival, friendship, love” (Swimming, Enza Gandolfo)
“loss, death and grief” (Headlong, Susan Varga)
“love, family and loss” (A History of the Great War, Peter McConnell)
“love, loss and hope” (Pescador’s Wake, Katherine Johnson)
“love, loss and learning” (The Rainy Season, Myfanwy Jones)
“love and loss” (Fugitive Blue, Claire Thomas)
“love and loss” (The Nature of Ice, Robyn Mundy)
“love, loss and grieving” (I Dream of Magda, Stefan Laszczuk)
“loss, and the search for home” (The Daughters of Moab, Kim Westwood)
“love, loss” (Wanting, Richard Flanagan)

Could there be something in the air, or is a thesaurus simply in order?

Comments

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

I must simply say "Bwahahahahhahaha".

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

It strikes me that these might be the Two Ls in the Alphabet of Writing...

[tallaudrey.livejournal.com]

Methinks you could be right/write!

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

The two Fs: Family and Friendship.

The two Hs: Home and Heartbreak.

The three Is: Identity, Investigation and Intrigue.

(There's probably a whole Alphabet of blurbs, just waiting to happen!

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

So universal it doesn't need to be on the back cover--that's how I see it. It's like advertising the words, or the fact that there are people in it. Or conflict, which some blurbs also promise. What's a book without conflict? (Tempting to say "Literature" here, but that would be a cheap shot.) You don't sell a car based on the fact that it has wheels.

There were lots of other books about death and dying that didn't use the second L-word at all. They get bonus points. :-)

the loss of love of love and loss

Destined to win the Booker!

[angriest.livejournal.com]

Can't wait to finish my novel: "A story of people who do stuff and have emotional reactions to what each other has done." Bound to be an award-winner.

Love and Loss

[(Anonymous)]

A fascinating observation. I'm happy to be in such good company! Robyn Mundy (The Nature of Ice)

Re: Love and Loss

[seanwilliams.livejournal.com]

Thanks for being so gracious about it, Robyn!