{"product_id":"9781922148889","title":"The Glass Kingdom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBen and his sidekick, Mikey, work the Target Ball stand in a ramshackle carnival travelling up the east coast. Ben is trying to put his time in the army behind him and make some money. Mikey - AKA Mekong Delta, Fremantle's answer to Fifty Cent - wants to work on his flow and impress girls.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTheir marks are the boozed-up blokes wandering sideshow alley in the hope of winning fluffy toys for their girlfriends. Easy pickings - so long as Mikey keeps his big mouth shut. Especially since his tendency to start fights jeopardises Ben's lucrative meth-dealing operation...\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInventive, profane and hilarious, \u003ci\u003eThe Glass Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e is a breakneck tour of rural Australia's underbelly from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eA Tiger in Eden\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Flynn\u003c\/b\u003e’s first novel was \u003ci\u003eA Tiger in Eden\u003c\/i\u003e, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize. He edited ‘Terra Australis: Four Stories from Aboriginal Australian Writers’ in \u003ci\u003eMcSweeney’s 41\u003c\/i\u003e, and his writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eGriffith Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMeanjin\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eParis Review Daily\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMonster Children\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSmith Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSilent History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAge\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAustralian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBig Issue\u003c\/i\u003e and many other publications. His most recent novel is \u003ci\u003eThe Glass Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e. Born in Belfast, Chris now lives in Melbourne.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A funny, sick, clever book you'll want to wash off your skin like outback dust, blood and spit.' Craig Sherborne\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Takes aim at many aspects of modern life, from the military to reality television to society's growing dependence on pharmacology...Fans of Irvine Welsh will delight in Flynn's wordplay.' \u003ci\u003eBooks+Publishing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Flynn's fine ear for voice, rhythm, and pace, on full display here, are a major strength of the novel. His characters are sharply drawn. We come to know and inhabit these men not only through what they say, but how they say it…The characters inhabit a three-dimensional landscape where movement, be it subtle or dramatic, creates its own tension and poetry.' \u003ci\u003eAustralian Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A catastrophic, unexpected and strikingly imagined climax. His command of extravagant action and idiom never flags.' \u003ci\u003eWeekend Australian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'The funniest tale I've read in many a year…\u003ci\u003eThe Glass Kingdom \u003c\/i\u003eis best described, I think, as Alex Garland's \u003ci\u003eThe Beach\u003c\/i\u003e meets the bush, and will have you marvelling at Flynn's extraordinary ear for the vernacular and wicked eye for small-town country Australia.' Martin Shaw, Readings\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'An unflinching page-turner that's funny, ugly, shocking and true to life all at once.' \u003ci\u003eThree Thousand\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Text Publishing Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47170658468080,"sku":"9781922148889","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781922148889_p0.jpg?v=1763633208","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781922148889","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}