my family and other animus

by James Jeffrey

An ode to family life in all its glorious mess and chaos.

For the young James Jeffrey, the day his parents split was like the splitting of the atom. Life took on a seismic instability filled with madness and strain and vendetta and daftness and acts of love, both beautiful and misguided. Yet, what could have been a calamitous upbringing turned instead into an education. For better or worse, his family handed out lessons that would guide him through life, into marriage, and eventually parenthood.

'my family and other animus' is an ode to his family.

185 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2018

Reviews

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved James Jeffrey's columns and Strewth pars in The Australian and missed his wit when he moved to other pastures. Some reviewers not primed by this advantage looked askance that the time frames lacked cogent direction. But a plus is that this is a book one can dip into, a chapter at a time.

Hilarious to read of his multicultural upbringing and travels, especially of his redoubtable, unique and irrepressible mother. Is it any wonder the man views life from oblique angles?

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My family and other animus" was loaned to me by a friend, and I had serious second thoughts about giving it back to him.
If you like funny memoirs that make you laugh out loud, you'll love this one.
Columnist for "The Australian" newspaper James Jeffrey has an amazing gift with language and word play.
His stories of everyday life are painted in the brightest of colours.
Highly recommend!!!

[Rueben · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Patsy Bourke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first reading of James Jeffrey - our household tends to more frequently read the other major daily newspaper in Australia rather than the one for which he writes.

The design of this book appears to be a collection of articles published in that newspaper. The order in which the articles are placed and the lack of an introduction for a new reader can seem as though you have missed the first chapter/s. There is a degree of assumed knowledge of Jeffrey and his family life. This was initially disconcerting.

The articles themselves are also quite varied and can change tack quite markedly within each short story/item. This jump in time and focus without warning can be disruptive to understanding of what is happening in that particular article, but once that has happened a couple of times, it is not so errant.

He reminds me of Richard Glover in style, amusing antidotes about family life with some unusual parental behaviours some of which are potentially based on having being born in another country. Jeffrey has also lived in a number of different countries following a migrant Australian childhood resulting in many enjoyable observations.

He saves the best til last. His writing of his broadcaster mate and colleague Mark Colvin is appropriate prose on one whose life was language, erudite wit, breadth of knowledge, amazing understanding of the humans on this planet; who had amazing editorial observation and was a damn fine entertainer. James has captured the soul of one so beloved to so many in Australia over decades. James' friendship was more recent but no less deep - the respect he pays to this amigo in an obituary style article is worthy of the man being written about and their connection. These two penultimate pieces display the full Jeffrey authorial talent - which in earlier articles was not always overt.

It is not a text I would have chosen without prompting, not being familiar with the author and the front cover would not have encouraged interest. However, I am pleased to have shared some time with another Australian voice on life, love, family, and adventure.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining memoir, though more like a string of short stories than an overarching narrative.

[Dr G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is James Jeffrey's memoir of his life thus far. It is a wonderfully enjoyable account. Jeffrey has a beautiful turn of phrase, and of pun, and an outstanding sense of the ridiculous. This latter is assisted by the fact that his childhood was built upon and swamped by the ridiculous. Most ridiculous of all, it seems, was his mother. Nevertheless, Jeffrey - and many others - seem to have forgiven the way she imposed ridiculousness on all their lives. He writes about her, and thus about his childhood, with a sort of bemused puzzlement.
At about the time when I thought Jeffrey's humour might be about to be losing steam, the book changes course slightly to become a diary of the deaths of his father and his mother. He writes this section with enormous sensitivity.
A thoroughly enjoyable, immensely readable book. James Jeffrey becomes your friend as you read.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very taken with the openness and honesty of the author regarding his dysfunctional family, dare I say his dysfunctional mother. I cringed as I read of her personality, clearly she was a person I would have run a mile from, but of course her children had no such option. I am sure the writing was a cathartic experience for Jeffrey, but I thought the book lagged towards the end, as if he filled it to the promised number of pages once the main story was told. So 4 stars for the majority and 3 for its weaker wind down.

[Kym Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read. The only caveat is that the book is a collection of newspaper columns (edited) and is subsequently highly episodic with tangents aplenty. They are enjoyable, and often laugh out loud funny, but the book is really a collection of—sometimes disparate—episodes arranged in rough chronological order. Still, I enjoyed it a lot.
Recommended.

[Jane Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed his stories. His language is so brain crinkling, it's great. At times though I did read read a few sentences, sometimes he was too clever for me. The death of his loved ones was moving and thought provoking. Thinking of my own mortality.

[Tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, ambling, brought me to tears several times.
The much-loved columnist for The Australian newspaper is the most entertaining of writers and as Leigh Sales says, it’s a life-affirming read.

[Katharine Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable. Laugh out loud funny at times. Which proved interesting on a few morning commutes.

[Jez Symes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written. A fantastic turn of phrase. I'm jealous of the memories. A thoroughly enjoyable read interspersed worth much laughter and a little sadness, with even a tear.