I've just finished reading Bryan Brown's first full length novel 'The Drowning' and I have to say that I'm surprised to say it is a good read.I'm not a reader who is (or was rather) into reading crime fiction novels, so I didn't think I was going to enjoy reading this book of Bryan's.
Plus, I thought this was just going to be good actor playing at trying to be a good author by writing a story, but it turns out he is a good writer who can tell a good story and probably has a few good stories left to write yet.
I wrote about why I bought the book in this recent post -
Faraway Downs/Australia?ððŪðĪ And to tell the truth, if my son wasn't in line to read my copy I would probably have left the book in my "to read" pile until sometime next year.I found it amusing that in the novel Bryan writes Australians love to shorten names, and when he asked me what name I wanted the greeting in the book to be made out to and told him Daz, he asked me what Daz was short for, and I told him Darren. He asked me how I got the name Daz and I almost said to him "where have you been living for the last 50 years?"
It's almost a rite of passage in Australia that anyone born with the name Darren or Darryl is going to be called Daz, just like anyone born with the name Barry, Sharon, Gary, Karen, Harry or Kevin is going to be called Baz, Shaz, Gaz, Kaz, Haz or Kev by their mates at some point in their lives, if not all the time.
Bryan even gives a shout out in the acknowledgements section of the book to Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Bennett for helping him with questions regarding police matters and procedures for the some of his novel's characters, so I wondered if he ever said to Bryan, "just call me Daz"? Bryan's a guy with a great sense of humour and would easily be fun to have a chat with over a drink at a backyard BBQ or in a pub, I feel.I've been listening to Bryan on a few podcasts he has been on recently flogging his book and that gives you a sense of the type of humour he has about life in general, which is pretty much the way most Aussies are about life, I think, including me. I was telling my son how I was in Target the other day and saw Bryan's and Trent's books for sale at half the price I paid for them at Avid Reader ... Doh! Oh well, I like to help out starving artists just getting started in the publishing industry;-)
I saw in the paper that Michael Caine has retired from acting at the age of 90, so I hope Bryan keeps acting and writing well past that age. Sherlock Holmes & Drug Abuse?ðYou think it would be their year next season, but then again look what happened to the Rabbitohs this season:-) And his club were formed on my birthday in 1998 I see - My Happiest Birthday Ever
UPDATE: December 2nd, 2023
I saw this mysterious news story today about bodies being washed up on an Australian beach -"Environmental officials are investigating after more than 30 pilot whales were discovered dead on a remote Tasmanian beach.
On Tuesday, 34 whale carcasses were found on Bryans Beach, near the southern end of Tassie’s Freycinet Peninsula.
Marine Conservation Program (MCP) researchers were on site on Wednesday collecting samples and measurements to try to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
So far, it remains a mystery."
