Wake in Fright

What a tense, harrowing and emotional ride. A fantastic book that really affected me as I was moved by John Grant and the events of the book.

“Peculiar trait of the western people, thought Grant, that you could sleep with their wives, despoil their daughters, sponge on them, defraud them, do almost anything that would mean at least ostracism in normal society and they would barely seem to notice it. But refuse a drink with them and they immediately become your mortal enemy” A brilliant exaggeration of the fact by author Kenneth Cook.

Written in 1961 this short story is proof that the characterisation of the typical bush Australian alpha male as generally a Crocodile Dundee style individual was, and still is, a nonsense. The overly matey drinking culture was, and again still is, based on the ability to drink copious amounts of very poor beer, fight, shoot and root and if you are unable to be part of that you are an obvious poofta and should bugga off. What a good book!