Listurbia

by Carly Cappielli

Genres: Australia

Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unnamed narrator has a list problem, both writing them down and thinking them up as she commutes from one western Sydney train station to another and back again. What I feared could be a whimsical device is not at all and steadily and powerfully it all comes together, with no false notes. The list format in no way forestalls a plot and instead propels it. We want to know more about this woman and why she makes list and drinks a lot. As a reader who grew up at roughly the same time in roughly the same place - western Sydney- the evocation of time and place really resonated with me. But I reckon it has wider appeal precisely because it’s so located.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love novellas and I love lists so of course I loved this. Reasons why:
1. Cappielli’s deconstruction of person and place makes for great writing and deeply humane (and funny) observations.
2. The way it, and its central obsession, sneaks up on you.
3. When I talk about voice, this is what I’m talking about.
4. Related hard.
5. Ambitious form-challenging writing forever.
MORE MORE MORE!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect public transport sized book.

A novella, written mainly as lists by a troubled character, in the middle of a situation unfolding in the Western Suburbs of Sydney.

This story rips along at a cracking speed and is easily gobbled up/read.

Thank you for sharing this book with me @jenniwren

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to prepare for teaching it to year 10 this year. Really enjoyed the Western/Southwestern Sydney imagery and references! Writing in a series of lists is a neat idea. Plenty of complexity and layers of meaning to be worthy of close study. Contains mature ideas and content relating to mental health/illness, treatment and medications.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this in one sitting at the library so I didn’t have to spend 50c to take it home. It was in the discarded books sale. It was actually good, I’d never heard of it before, just thought the back seemed interesting.

It felt very well thought out and satisfyingly complete. I liked it a lot.

[Sarah Pisani · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Could do without the casual racism)

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book - I feel like it’s executed perfectly for what it is. Really refreshing writing style (entirely written as lists), good mystery that motivates you to read along while the real plot unfolds around it, perfectly sized so that it’s impactful without overstaying its welcome (could read this in 2-3 hours).
I’d love to see what this author does next!

[Gavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ... very close to a great book, this was sometimes challenging to read, but very entertaining & witty. Highly recommended as something a bit different