The Glass Kingdom (Chris Flynn, Text)

Irish-born Australian novelist Chris Flynn delights in playing with vernacular and dialect; it’s a conceit he used to great effect in his debut, A Tiger in Eden, and something he deploys more humorously in his second novel. Unlike the brogue accents of the former, Flynn busts out his own brand of rap verse in his newest book. While Flynn’s freestyling is no match for slam poet Omar Musa, The Glass Kingdom operates on a more satirical level. Through his anti-heroes Ben and Mikey, drug dealers and carnies for a travelling circus show, Flynn takes aim at many aspects of modern life, from the military to reality television to society’s growing dependence on pharmacology. The opening chapters suggest a more traditional, yarn-like tale, however, the story quickly becomes warped—somewhat like a room full of funhouse mirrors. Fans of Irvine Welsh will delight in Flynn’s wordplay while others might find it a little too dizzying. Regardless, when Flynn’s deliberately stereotypical Afro-American slang is contrasted with the less than glamorous setting of rural Queensland, it’s clear he is cheekily giving the traditional school of Australian literature the middle finger. 

Emily Laidlaw is the online editor at Kill Your Darlings