Stories of not belonging in a classless society.
Class intersects with almost every aspect of our lives, from where we go to school, to what we wear and eat, to how we speak, and how we make a living. Yet we almost never talk about it, and when we do, it’s often to make claims about how much Australia loves its ‘battlers’ and blue-collar underdogs. But what’s it really like to be economically disadvantaged in this country? To be denied a place in a rapidly expanding ‘middle class’ as the gulf between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ widens? And is it possible to cross class lines in a country that barely acknowledges those lines exist?
In Cop This Lot, diverse voices of all ages — from the well-known to the recently discovered — deliver their stories and experiences with verve, courage, and humour. Collectively, these essays challenge Australia’s myths and truths about its national character and delve deeply into the nation’s complex relationship with social class.
With contributions from: Roger Averill, Timmah Ball, Shannon Burns, Andy Butler, Luke Carman, Felicity Castagna, Zoe Douglas-Kinghorn, Chris Fleming, Nayuka Gorrie, Rick Morton, Amra Pajalic, Sheila Ngoc Pham, Peter Polites, Alice Pung, and David Sornig.
Praise for Everything In Its Right Place:
Everything in its Right Place is a coming of age story that feels distinctly Australian and incredibly relatable. McCorkell delicately balances black humour with warmth, grit, and poignancy and explores the many facets of growing up in a working-class family along with the complexities of separating and coming to terms with who you are, who you want to be, and who you are expected to be … McCorkell has an incredible talent for taking an ordinary scene and making it just a little bit extraordinary … [E]xhilarating and profound.
Chloë Cooper, Kill Your Darlings
Praise for Everything In Its Right Place:
The novel takes on the themes of family, sexuality, class and adolescence with empathy and vitality, deliberating on these motifs with protean humour, acute insight and evocative language. In the tradition of Christos Tsiolkas’ Loaded and Helen Garner’s Monkey Grip, Everything In Its Right Place is a captivating and exhilarating reading experience. 4.5 STARS
Vince Leigh, BMA Magazine
