| Author | Jessica Anderson |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
Publication date | 1989 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 232 pp. |
| ISBN | 0670829501 |
| Preceded by | Stories from the Warm Zone |
| Followed by | One of the Wattle Birds |
Taking Shelter (1989) is a novel by Australian writer Jessica Anderson. It was originally published by Penguin Books in Australia in 1989.[1]
Synopsis
Set in Sydney in the late 1980s the novel follows Beth who breaks off her engagement to Miles when she discovers he is gay, and then plunges into a passionate and uneasy affair with Marcus.
Critical reception
Veronica Sen, witing in The Canberra Times, noted: "In her most recent novel Jessica Anderson explores contemporary Sydney where the pace of life exacerbates the moral confusion, family conflict and personal stress so characteristic of modern society...In her witty portraiture of the young and not-so-young confronting problems of freedom and responsibility and self-understanding, Anderson demonstrates what she sees as the primary function of literature: the need to engage, to entertain. In the realm of storytelling she does, indeed, 'make something' of value."[2]
Publication history
After its original publication in 1989 in Australia by publisher Penguin Books[3] the novel was later reprinted as follows:
Awards
- Miles Franklin Award, shortlisted 1991[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Austlit — Taking Shelter by Jessica Anderson (Penguin Books) 1989". Austlit. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ ""Street cats on the streets of Sydney"". The Canberra Times, 19 May 1990, p8. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ "Taking Shelter (Penguin Books 1989)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ "Taking Shelter (Untapped 2021)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ ""Malouf's sixth novel wins Miles Franklin award"". The Canberra Times, 26 June 1991, p5. Retrieved 11 December 2023.