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Boy on a Wire ebook

by Jon Doust

About the Book

Sent to boarding school at a young age, Jack Muir decides he’s a survivor. He gets by with a quick wit and a fast mouth. Others aren’t so lucky. This story from stand-up comedian and writer, Jon Doust, is humorous and deeply poignant — a close-to-the-bone tale of how underdogs survive the system.

Praise for the book
‘From the opening sentence, it is clear that we are in the presence of a writer with a distinctive voice and uncanny ability to capture the bewilderment and burgeoning anger of a boy struggling to remain true to himself while navigating the hypocritical system he finds himself trapped in … If you know an angry teenager, give this to him.’ — The Age

‘The novel is apparently autobiographical and is being publicised as such but Doust has done with his material what so many autobiographical novelists fail to do: he has turned it into a shapely story, with no extraneous material or diversions and with an absolutely consistent and convincing narrative voice.’ — Sydney Morning Herald

‘The distinctive, masterfully inhabited adolescent narrator recalls the narrator in darkly funny coming-of-age memoir Hoi Polloi (Craig Sherborne)—as does the juxtaposition of stark naivety and carefully mined knowingness.’ — Bookseller+Publisher

‘…a hilarious, angry and sympathetic portrait of boys behaving badly, teeming with sadistic bullies, imperfect heroes, adolescent onanists and ice-cream gorging hedonists.’— The West Australian

‘…funny and poignant coming of age tale.’ — Scoop Magazine

‘This highly readable novel will gain much notoriety with senior students, and the story it tells will be compared favourably with The Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies, as students grapple today with the same questions Jack asked 40 years ago.’— Magpies

‘In the long literary historical view – when time is given to take it – this will seem another small, but significant shift in the social reckonings that Australian fiction makes.’— Peter Pierce, Canberra Times

Category
ebooks
Publication Year
2009
Edition
First Edition
Publisher
Fremantle Press
Awards

Longlisted, Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2008

ISBN13
9781921696183
HB/PB
Ebook
Format
Ebook
Pages
240
Other Editions
Height x Width mm
192 x 128
Sample Chapter
Boy on a wire web.pdf
Teaching Notes
BOY ON A WIRE TEACHING NOTES WEB.pdf
Media
View Media Resources
Book Club Notes
View Book Club Notes
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