NEW RELEASE
Hello From the Gillespies - Monica McInerney (2014)
With the Gillespies all planning to be together on their outback station in South Australia this Christmas, Angela is writing her annual letter, filling everyone in on what the family has been up to over the past year. But finding it impossible to give a positive spin this year, Angela vents with a more truthful version. About how she and husband Nick have grown apart, especially with him using every spare minute to research his Irish ancestors and making major decisions about the property without consulting her. About how she often escapes by fantasising about another life back in her English homeland, with a previous boyfriend, Will, and a successful daughter. Meanwhile her own three daughters are all out of work. Genevieve has lost her job as a hairdresser in the New York film and TV industry, while her twin Victoria, a Sydney-based radio producer, has taken the fall for her announcer's on-air rant. Youngest daughter Lindy has returned from Melbourne, in debt and planning to make her fortune through cushions. And 10-year-old son Ig - her surprise arrival during her 40s - has run away from boarding school yet again, and is still chatting away constantly to his imaginary friend. When Angela's tell-it-like-it-is Christmas letter accidentally wings its way out to the world, she frets about what people will think of them. But soon it is the least of her family's worries. This is among my favourite reads of the year - the characters are so quirky and richly drawn while the vivid outback setting is captivating. It's a storyline that keeps intensifying at every page turn. Just as you think nothing could get worse, another problem is thrown at the family. How their love triumphs will warm your heart and make you wish you were joining the Gillespies for Christmas lunch.
Hello From the Gillespies, by Monica McInerney, is about a woman whose life isn't as great as she makes it appear. The summary says: "For more than thirty years, Angela Gillespie has sent friends and family around the world an end-of-the-year letter titled 'Hello from the Gillespies'. It's always been cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises herself - she tells the truth . . . The Gillespies are far from the perfect family that Angela has made them out to be. Her husband is coping poorly with retirement. Her 32-year-old twins are having career meltdowns. Her third daughter, badly in debt, can't stop crying. And her ten-year-old son spends more time talking to his imaginary friend than to real ones. Without Angela, the family would fall apart. But when Angela is taken from them in a most unexpected manner, the Gillespies pull together - and pull themselves together - in wonderfully surprising ways . . ." Hello From the Gillespies is out in September 2014.