What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us
Laura van den Berg
‘Juxtaposing legendary monsters with human fear and frailty, she brings her small stories to spare, beautiful conclusions. I finished this book wishing there were more.’
Eleanor Limprecht, Sun-Herald
The stories in Laura van den Berg’s rich and inventive debut illuminate the intersection of the mythic and the mundane.
A failed actress takes a job as a Bigfoot impersonator. A grieving missionary becomes obsessed with a creature rumoured to live in the forests of the Congo. And, in the title story, a young woman travelling with her scientist mother in Madagascar confronts her burgeoning sexuality and her dream of becoming a long-distance swimmer.
Rendered with grace and precision, this breathtaking collection is narrated by women yearning for absolution, for solace, for the flash of extraordinary that will forever alter their lives.
Reviews
‘beautifully imagined and written’
Northern Star
‘This is a thoughtful, hugely enjoyable blend of realism and fantasy that manages never to come down firmly on either side of the divide, enabling the reader (like these narrators) to interpret events in the context of their own experiences and beliefs.’
Jo Case, The Age
» All reviews for this title‘Almost everything about this 27-year-old author breaks the mould … Shaped around her enduring fascination with the landscape of myths and monsters, it addresses loss and longing in a way that makes the heart sing.’
Bron Sibree, Courier Mail
