A self-absorbed young musician comes as a pupil-boarder to the house of an 'old European' family and gradually his life is taken over and consumed. But this, seemingly, by dark, mysterious forces within as much as outside himself. Milk and Honey is a haunting new novel showing this skilled and sensitive writer at her best. While much of what we have come to expect and admire in Elizabeth Jolley's work is powerfully present - vivid and diverse characters, pathos, humour and acute perceptions of people and their situations - this novel is in many ways quite unlike anything the author has previously written. It is a work of gothid proportions, an astonishing tapestry of character and incident that surprises while never failing to convince. Elizabeth Jolley continues to take great risks in her work, extending her range and readership at the same time. Milk and Honey consolidates her reputation as a major Australian writer, it is an exciting work of remarkable insight that expands the imaginative dimensions of our world.
Author
Monica Elizabeth Jolley was an award-winning writer who settled in Western Australia in the late 1950s. She was 53 years old when her first book was published, and she went on to publish fifteen novels (including an autobiographical trilogy), four short story collections, and three non-fiction books, publishing well into her 70s and achieving significant critical acclaim. She was also a pioneer of creative writing teaching in Australia, counting many well known writers such as Tim Winton among her students. Her novels explore alienated characters and the nature of loneliness and entrapment. Honours: 1987: Western Australian Citizen of the Year 1988: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for services to literature 1989: Canada/Australia Literary Award 1997: Australian Living Treasure
