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My Heart Is a Little Wild Thing
Blood is thicker than water, but the heart is a little wild thing that can’t be tamed.
The day after I tried to kill my mother, I tossed some clothes, a pair of hiking boots, a baseball cap and a few toiletries into my backpack, and left at dawn.
Patrick has always considered himself a good son. Willing to live his life to please his parents, his sense of duty paramount to his own desires and dreams. But as his mother’s health continues to deteriorate and his siblings remain absent, he finds the ties that bind him to his mother begin to chafe.
After an argument leads to a violent act, he travels to a familiar country retreat to reflect on what his life could be – and through a chance encounter with a rare animal and an intriguing stranger starts to wonder if perhaps it is not too late to let his heart run wild.
A story about family, love and the cost of freedom, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing serves as a reminder that we all deserve to pursue our dreams.
The day after I tried to kill my mother, I tossed some clothes, a pair of hiking boots, a baseball cap and a few toiletries into my backpack, and left at dawn.
Patrick has always considered himself a good son. Willing to live his life to please his parents, his sense of duty paramount to his own desires and dreams. But as his mother’s health continues to deteriorate and his siblings remain absent, he finds the ties that bind him to his mother begin to chafe.
After an argument leads to a violent act, he travels to a familiar country retreat to reflect on what his life could be – and through a chance encounter with a rare animal and an intriguing stranger starts to wonder if perhaps it is not too late to let his heart run wild.
A story about family, love and the cost of freedom, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing serves as a reminder that we all deserve to pursue our dreams.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2022
12 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Featherstone
12 books35 followersNigel Featherstone is an Australian writer for the page, stage, and music. His most recent work is The Wreck Event, a 16-song spokenword-and-music album under the moniker Hell Herons collaboration with award-winning poets Melinda Smith, Stuart Barnes, and CJ Bowerbird. Nigel’s most recent novel, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing, was published by Ultimo Press (Hardie Grant) in 2022. It has been described as ‘Epic in its intimacy–a triumph of a book’ (Peter Polites), ‘A remarkable look at Australian masculinity and its meaning’ (Newtown Review of Books), and ‘Yearning and intimate’ (West Australian). Nigel’s war novel, Bodies of Men, was published by Hachette Australia in 2019. It was longlisted for the 2020 ARA Historical Novel Prize, shortlisted for the 2020 ACT Book of the Year, and shortlisted in the 2019 Queensland Literary Awards. His short works - prose and poetry - have appeared in numerous literary journals such as the Review of Australian Fiction, Meanjin, Overland, Rabbit, Island, The Millions and the Chicago Quarterly Review. In terms of theatre, Nigel’s play with spokenword songs, The Story of the Oars, had its world premiere in 2025 at The Street Theatre, Canberra. As commissioned by the Hume Conservatorium, he wrote the libretto for The Weight of Light, which was developed by The Street Theatre and had its world premiere in 2018. As a freelancer, Nigel’s work has appeared in a variety of mastheads and journals, including the Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian Australia, and the Chicago Quarterly Review. In 2022, Nigel was named the ACT Artist of the Year. He is represented by Gaby Naher, The Naher Agency, Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 5, 2022
MY HEART IS A LITTLE WILD THING is a brilliant and deeply evocative novel that breaks your heart and hints that, if you trust it enough, it will lovingly piece it back together. Nigel Featherstone’s writing is superbly astute, unearthing beauty and tenderness in the most intimate moments of the human experience. This exceptional tale stole a place in my heart – it was so compelling, I read it in a single day, and I will be thinking about Patrick and Lewis for a long time. Powerful, tender, visceral and sublime – a must-read piece of Australian literature.
May 24, 2022
Like Richard, I’m a gay man in my 50s living in NSW. It resonated with me on so many levels, the familiarity of the time periods depicted and many of the places. This confessional inspired me to listen to my vinyl copy of Yazoo, Google Sarasate Gypsy Airs and locations I was not familiar with. Big Mouth Records MUST be Red Eye Records one of my haunts. I reflected on past loves and crushes which made this read even more poignant and heartbreaking. This novel is such a gift and is one of hope. Loved it.
May 30, 2022
‘The day after I tried to kill my mother ...’
Mr Featherstone grabbed my attention with his opening line and held it until the end of the journey. Oh, Patrick, I wondered, where are you? And who are you? There’s more to life than pleasing others, even if one of those others is your mother.
After an argument with his mother, Patrick heads off to the Monaro region of New South Wales, to a place where his family used to spend time. And while he is staying there, he sees a tiger quoll (a member of an endangered species) and meets Lewis. What can I write about Patrick and Lewis? Patrick does not expect intimacy, but he finds it. A fortnight with Lewis gives Patrick a hint of freedom, as well as memories to cherish and hold fast.
Has it also given Patrick the courage to accept who he is?
Patrick’s story continues, and slowly he becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and his own place in the world.
A life unfurls. A beautifully told story.
‘The desire to hurt or even destroy what we love—it makes no sense. Or it makes more sense than ever.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Mr Featherstone grabbed my attention with his opening line and held it until the end of the journey. Oh, Patrick, I wondered, where are you? And who are you? There’s more to life than pleasing others, even if one of those others is your mother.
After an argument with his mother, Patrick heads off to the Monaro region of New South Wales, to a place where his family used to spend time. And while he is staying there, he sees a tiger quoll (a member of an endangered species) and meets Lewis. What can I write about Patrick and Lewis? Patrick does not expect intimacy, but he finds it. A fortnight with Lewis gives Patrick a hint of freedom, as well as memories to cherish and hold fast.
Has it also given Patrick the courage to accept who he is?
Patrick’s story continues, and slowly he becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and his own place in the world.
A life unfurls. A beautifully told story.
‘The desire to hurt or even destroy what we love—it makes no sense. Or it makes more sense than ever.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
February 7, 2023
This is such a beautifully written book. I’m biased to the setting as some are places I grew up near, but the way everything was described and developed left me speechless by the end. I wasn’t expecting it to have such an impact on me as it has, but as soon as I finished reading the last sentence I knew it was a 5/5 for me. Hours after I’ve finished the book and everything is still running around my mind. A truly lovely but still quite a sad story.
July 18, 2022
Thank you Ultimo Press for sending us a copy to read and review.
A classic opening sentence created an ambience and immediate resonation with this story.
Drawn to the major character like a magnet to a fridge I devoured his story, felt his frustration and related to him on many levels.
Patrick is the youngest of three, in his mid forties he lives two doors from his mum. Her dependence on him, her demands of him and her demeanour eventually makes him crack, he throws a clock at her and storms out.
He heads to a place where happy childhood memories shade out the adult emotional turmoil and reality.
The Monaro region offers a beauty, a harshness and safety.
Staying in the old barn where his family did provides the solace he craves.
A chance meeting with a local challenges everything, the connection with Lewis was mutually explosive.
Challenging his suppressed sexuality, his fear of disease and allowing his heart to flutter is offset with his family obligations and facing the truth.
His extended stay in the region will solidify and enhance already wonderful memories but will create an angst and torment as he has to live his truth.
An amazing story that portrays connection to country, family dynamics, sex and sexuality and the balancing act of betrayal and devotion.
I lapped all this up and was so absorbed in the love story playing out and extremely invested in what was going to happen.
The regenerative agricultural element was an added bonus for me.
Loved, loved this.
A classic opening sentence created an ambience and immediate resonation with this story.
Drawn to the major character like a magnet to a fridge I devoured his story, felt his frustration and related to him on many levels.
Patrick is the youngest of three, in his mid forties he lives two doors from his mum. Her dependence on him, her demands of him and her demeanour eventually makes him crack, he throws a clock at her and storms out.
He heads to a place where happy childhood memories shade out the adult emotional turmoil and reality.
The Monaro region offers a beauty, a harshness and safety.
Staying in the old barn where his family did provides the solace he craves.
A chance meeting with a local challenges everything, the connection with Lewis was mutually explosive.
Challenging his suppressed sexuality, his fear of disease and allowing his heart to flutter is offset with his family obligations and facing the truth.
His extended stay in the region will solidify and enhance already wonderful memories but will create an angst and torment as he has to live his truth.
An amazing story that portrays connection to country, family dynamics, sex and sexuality and the balancing act of betrayal and devotion.
I lapped all this up and was so absorbed in the love story playing out and extremely invested in what was going to happen.
The regenerative agricultural element was an added bonus for me.
Loved, loved this.
May 9, 2022
Some if my thoughts in handy dot points:
🐨 I enjoyed the distinctly Australian setting. Although none of the rural NSW settings were familiar to me, the descriptions were detailed and evocative.
📝 The voice and structure felt honest and authentic, with an acknowledgement of the power but also the fallibility of memory.
💔 The central relationships were complex and engaging - Patrick and his mother, and Patrick and Lewis and even Patrick and his siblings...
❤️ But the one relationship we care about the most is between Patrick and Lewis. And this relationship is written in a beautiful but realistic way that avoids cliches and I found very poignant. I think many/most readers would feel the same.
🧍🏻♂️It also read a but like a coming of age novel, despite the protagonist being in his 40s, and there was something really wonderful and hopeful about that.
🐨 I enjoyed the distinctly Australian setting. Although none of the rural NSW settings were familiar to me, the descriptions were detailed and evocative.
📝 The voice and structure felt honest and authentic, with an acknowledgement of the power but also the fallibility of memory.
💔 The central relationships were complex and engaging - Patrick and his mother, and Patrick and Lewis and even Patrick and his siblings...
❤️ But the one relationship we care about the most is between Patrick and Lewis. And this relationship is written in a beautiful but realistic way that avoids cliches and I found very poignant. I think many/most readers would feel the same.
🧍🏻♂️It also read a but like a coming of age novel, despite the protagonist being in his 40s, and there was something really wonderful and hopeful about that.
July 11, 2022
After yet another strident interaction with his controlling mother, MC Patrick blindly escapes back to a 'golden place' from his childhood - desperately seeking solace and peace for his soul/body. During this fortnight of emotional / psychological relief, Patrick encounters a mythical marsupial (thought to be extinct in the NSW tablelands) and a mysterious dark and handsome stranger ... both leaving a lasting imprint on him thereafter. Somehow this initially lost and much put upon MC gains inner strength to reclaim his lost adulthood, discover new reasons for living, find joys and satisfaction in the mundane tasks of care-giving, strength to exert his own will and agency to make needed life decisions and changes and to make the most of what's left of his life/days.
The ending is bittersweet yet very hopeful - and surprisingly, those lyrics from Adele's song came to me:
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
"Don't forget me, " I begged
I remember you said
"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"
"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"
Yet another fully engaging read from this author - 4.5 stars
The ending is bittersweet yet very hopeful - and surprisingly, those lyrics from Adele's song came to me:
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
"Don't forget me, " I begged
I remember you said
"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"
"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"
Yet another fully engaging read from this author - 4.5 stars
May 3, 2022
A huge congratulations to Nigel Featherstone for writing such a powerful novel
Charting gay history in Australia over several decades, 'My Heart is a Little Wild Thing' is a novel full of impact. It covers hard-hitting themes of family relationships, self acceptance, discovery and desire. The writing in this book is stunning, with some really poignant sections that I re-read multiple times because they were just so beautifully written. There's a rawness and tenderness to this book that just draws you in, and one that stays with you long after the last page
Thank you to Ultimo Press for gifting me a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for a review
Charting gay history in Australia over several decades, 'My Heart is a Little Wild Thing' is a novel full of impact. It covers hard-hitting themes of family relationships, self acceptance, discovery and desire. The writing in this book is stunning, with some really poignant sections that I re-read multiple times because they were just so beautifully written. There's a rawness and tenderness to this book that just draws you in, and one that stays with you long after the last page
Thank you to Ultimo Press for gifting me a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for a review
August 1, 2022
Coming of age, but make it middle age. Can we normalise not understanding ourselves until well into adulthood? It’s very refreshing, and this novel does it beautifully.
Protagonist Patrick is stuck. He’s the only sibling available to care for his overbearing, ageing mother, to whom he has a deep sense of loyalty but also, increasingly, frustration. He’s in a ‘meh’ job, and he has disregarded his sexuality his entire life, hindering any chance of meaningful intimacy and connection.
In other words, he has always been last in his own life.
Until one day he snaps, and seeks the comfort of a place from childhood that becomes the catalyst for his personal evolution.
This quiet, introspective novel crackles with vulnerability and humanity. It examines the ties that bind us — to parents, to childhood, to places, to memories, to expectations — and how these ties shape us, how they anchor us, and also how they give us the tools to grow and fly. It is full of emotional complexity and hard-won wisdom.
Loved it 🤍🕰
Protagonist Patrick is stuck. He’s the only sibling available to care for his overbearing, ageing mother, to whom he has a deep sense of loyalty but also, increasingly, frustration. He’s in a ‘meh’ job, and he has disregarded his sexuality his entire life, hindering any chance of meaningful intimacy and connection.
In other words, he has always been last in his own life.
Until one day he snaps, and seeks the comfort of a place from childhood that becomes the catalyst for his personal evolution.
This quiet, introspective novel crackles with vulnerability and humanity. It examines the ties that bind us — to parents, to childhood, to places, to memories, to expectations — and how these ties shape us, how they anchor us, and also how they give us the tools to grow and fly. It is full of emotional complexity and hard-won wisdom.
Loved it 🤍🕰
September 22, 2022
A melancholy but at the same time a happy-ish book. This was my 100th book this year, finished a day after my birthday and I have enjoyed this so much and it made me heart hurt but there is always hope. Oh man. I cried.
November 6, 2022
So painfully sad!
“I was with my family, which meant I was who they wanted me to be, not who I wanted to be, who I longed to be.”
“I was with my family, which meant I was who they wanted me to be, not who I wanted to be, who I longed to be.”
July 3, 2022
Coming of age is my favourite genre, and this happens to be a coming of age story about a gay (but sexually repressed) man in his 50s. I saw many (too many) facets of my personality reflected in Richard. If this book was a song, it would be Red by Taylor Swift.
June 12, 2022
Tender. Thoughtful. Enjoyable.
May 25, 2022
Ultimo Press is an indie Aussie publisher and since they were established in 2020 they’ve released consistently brilliant books. Love and Virtue was in my Top 21 of 2021 and My Heart is a Little Wild Thing follows in the same tradition💫
This novel feels so personal, so intimate that I thought it was memoir. Patrick has lived a life dedicated to caring for his mother and navigating the vagaries of her moods. Unlike his two siblings, he was the one that stayed, never fully coming out as a gay man, scared of intimacy in the wake of the AIDS epidemic and working in a job that pays the bills
When he snaps one day in his 40’s, Patrick escapes to a much loved childhood haunt in the outback where he meets Lewis. In the midst of their fledgling relationship, Patrick begins to live a life that he’s never allowed himself before. My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a tender portrayal of the tussle between duty and freedom with the Australian landscape nestled at its heart
This novel feels so personal, so intimate that I thought it was memoir. Patrick has lived a life dedicated to caring for his mother and navigating the vagaries of her moods. Unlike his two siblings, he was the one that stayed, never fully coming out as a gay man, scared of intimacy in the wake of the AIDS epidemic and working in a job that pays the bills
When he snaps one day in his 40’s, Patrick escapes to a much loved childhood haunt in the outback where he meets Lewis. In the midst of their fledgling relationship, Patrick begins to live a life that he’s never allowed himself before. My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a tender portrayal of the tussle between duty and freedom with the Australian landscape nestled at its heart
July 17, 2022
My heart breaks for Patrick's heart.
This was an effortless read. Nigel writes with a light touch about deeply personal matters which gives his reader space to breathe. I wasn't familiar with the landscape of Patrick's childhood, to which he escapes after a confrontation with his aging mother, in early-stage dementia, for whom he is primary carer. It didn't matter. His loving description felt very real. In fact, the whole story, and Patrick's longing, felt so real I had to remind myself that it was not memoir.
This was an effortless read. Nigel writes with a light touch about deeply personal matters which gives his reader space to breathe. I wasn't familiar with the landscape of Patrick's childhood, to which he escapes after a confrontation with his aging mother, in early-stage dementia, for whom he is primary carer. It didn't matter. His loving description felt very real. In fact, the whole story, and Patrick's longing, felt so real I had to remind myself that it was not memoir.
April 10, 2022
Beautiful and sensitive, this is the story of a fleeting love, but one for which it is felt for a lifetime. The power of touch and connection will forever lovingly haunt Patrick and Lewis and determine a connection which will stay with them forever. A gentle and sensual queer love story, expertly weaved, which will stay with you beyond the last page.
August 7, 2022
Beautifully understated and deeply moving. This one really resonated with me…from the sense of time and place to the musical and literary references.
June 12, 2022
Teenaged Patrick is growing up in the 1980s, under the shadow of the deadly virus, AIDS, and the knowledge that revealing his true self to his well-to-do, strait-laced family is simply not an option. And so, to make himself acceptable to both his family and the world at large, Patrick hides the growing attraction he feels toward other boys.
The youngest of three siblings, Patrick’s relationship with his mother becomes more intense, as his much elder brother and sister begin to spread their wings and move away. A sensitive child, Patrick craves approval, and learns to acquiesce even the least of his needs and desires in favour of those of his cold, patrician mother.
As time goes by and his mother’s needs increase, good son, Patrick, finds himself becoming her full-time carer. As his siblings move to far-flung locations and start families of their own, Patrick becomes her only support, both emotionally and in a practical sense. His own life becomes severely compromised and the strain of constant repression and sacrifice culminates in an uncharacteristic act of violence.
Nigel Featherstone’s easy, conversational style draws you into the story like a fireside chat. The intimate, confessional tone carries you into Patrick’s world, with his love of nature, his deep connection to family and his secret desires. As the story unfolds, Patrick begins to glimpse the possibilities beyond his circumscribed existence, and his wild little heart can no longer be denied.
My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a beautifully written and powerful story about the importance of being true to yourself and honouring that which is most essential to your nature. It is a cautionary tale about living your life to please other people, and the inevitability that eventually the truth will out.
The youngest of three siblings, Patrick’s relationship with his mother becomes more intense, as his much elder brother and sister begin to spread their wings and move away. A sensitive child, Patrick craves approval, and learns to acquiesce even the least of his needs and desires in favour of those of his cold, patrician mother.
As time goes by and his mother’s needs increase, good son, Patrick, finds himself becoming her full-time carer. As his siblings move to far-flung locations and start families of their own, Patrick becomes her only support, both emotionally and in a practical sense. His own life becomes severely compromised and the strain of constant repression and sacrifice culminates in an uncharacteristic act of violence.
Nigel Featherstone’s easy, conversational style draws you into the story like a fireside chat. The intimate, confessional tone carries you into Patrick’s world, with his love of nature, his deep connection to family and his secret desires. As the story unfolds, Patrick begins to glimpse the possibilities beyond his circumscribed existence, and his wild little heart can no longer be denied.
My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a beautifully written and powerful story about the importance of being true to yourself and honouring that which is most essential to your nature. It is a cautionary tale about living your life to please other people, and the inevitability that eventually the truth will out.
July 6, 2022
Wow my heart. There are so many reasons I loved this book.
In this book middle aged Patrick flees from an argument with his mother to the Monaro region- the scene of happy childhood memories. There a chance encounter with Lewis will change his life and identity forever.
1. All the landscape descriptions at the start. Large parts of the books are set in the Monaro, dry mountainous plains region in Australia. I live close to there and the way the landscape was pained really made it come alive for me.
2. The plot surrounding Patrick's mum and her slowly advancing decline into old age and dementia. This hit really close to home and is vividly described how the people we love can vanish Infront of our eyes, their substance and essence being stripped away with each memory they lose.
3. It's a coming of age novel set in middle age. I have a soft spot for coming of age and watching it unfold against the backdrop of adult struggles was fascinating.
4. I really enjoyed the slow unfolding of the plot and story... Nothing felt forced. The pacing might feel slow for some but it felt perfect for self discovery and reality of messy emotions and people.
Fav quote: "There are beginnings, and there are endings, but there are also circles, which know nothing of either-they are, and have always been, complete."
In this book middle aged Patrick flees from an argument with his mother to the Monaro region- the scene of happy childhood memories. There a chance encounter with Lewis will change his life and identity forever.
1. All the landscape descriptions at the start. Large parts of the books are set in the Monaro, dry mountainous plains region in Australia. I live close to there and the way the landscape was pained really made it come alive for me.
2. The plot surrounding Patrick's mum and her slowly advancing decline into old age and dementia. This hit really close to home and is vividly described how the people we love can vanish Infront of our eyes, their substance and essence being stripped away with each memory they lose.
3. It's a coming of age novel set in middle age. I have a soft spot for coming of age and watching it unfold against the backdrop of adult struggles was fascinating.
4. I really enjoyed the slow unfolding of the plot and story... Nothing felt forced. The pacing might feel slow for some but it felt perfect for self discovery and reality of messy emotions and people.
Fav quote: "There are beginnings, and there are endings, but there are also circles, which know nothing of either-they are, and have always been, complete."
August 16, 2022
I would love to see this book made into a film. The places, music and fleeting glimpses of the quoll are so evocative that I could see and hear, even feel the temperature of, this story. Patrick is a compelling character whose life has been very constricted by his fears and sense of obligation to his (quite horrible) mother. It was sublimely beautiful to witness how (often after his frustrations had erupted into reckless outbursts) he gradually found himself, and a sustaining experience of love and connection to person and place.
May 25, 2022
Shortly after I first met the man who would become my partner for many years, he invited me to spend a long weekend in the Monaro region, south of Cooma in Country New South Wales. He borrowed a cottage from a friend, and we spent three days there in the hot dry Australian bush.
We’d only just met and were very shy around one another. It was the weekend of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, and the heat was deafening. We tried to cool off in a nearby creek, but snakes were a problem. Without air conditioning, we spent the nights lying naked side by side, sweating, hardly touching. I remember it as a moment of discovery – not yet a relationship - both wild and tender. In a remote bushland environment, artifice melts away to reveal who you really are.
It all came flooding back reading Nigel Featherstone’s profoundly moving My Heart is a Little Wild Thing.
A mild-mannered middle-aged man has spent most of his adult life looking after his ailing mother. In a rare moment of rebellion, the good son leaves her behind for an impromptu visit to the Monaro homestead where they holidayed when he was young. A chance encounter with another man leads to a fortnight of unexpected intimacy and sexual awakening that may resonate for years to come.
This novel is a familiar story of shame and repression, infused with a fresh and unique perspective on the gay coming-of-age tale. It is told with thoughtfulness and honesty. It rings true. I had to shut the book a few times, somewhat shocked by how much I could relate. Informed by a wonderful sense of place, the writing is simple but luminous. Threaded with repetitions and variations, it is like music created with loop pedals, meaning created in subtle iterative layers building to a powerful wall of sound.
Happiness is fleeting. The wisdom here is in recognising that it’s also a destination we don’t naturally choose for ourselves. It requires a course correction. For many there exists a time when something in us froze into existence, a time – or is it a place? – we wish we could return to, so as to make different choices. This is the poignant story of such a voyage, and the slow, hopeful thaw it made possible.
We’d only just met and were very shy around one another. It was the weekend of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, and the heat was deafening. We tried to cool off in a nearby creek, but snakes were a problem. Without air conditioning, we spent the nights lying naked side by side, sweating, hardly touching. I remember it as a moment of discovery – not yet a relationship - both wild and tender. In a remote bushland environment, artifice melts away to reveal who you really are.
It all came flooding back reading Nigel Featherstone’s profoundly moving My Heart is a Little Wild Thing.
A mild-mannered middle-aged man has spent most of his adult life looking after his ailing mother. In a rare moment of rebellion, the good son leaves her behind for an impromptu visit to the Monaro homestead where they holidayed when he was young. A chance encounter with another man leads to a fortnight of unexpected intimacy and sexual awakening that may resonate for years to come.
This novel is a familiar story of shame and repression, infused with a fresh and unique perspective on the gay coming-of-age tale. It is told with thoughtfulness and honesty. It rings true. I had to shut the book a few times, somewhat shocked by how much I could relate. Informed by a wonderful sense of place, the writing is simple but luminous. Threaded with repetitions and variations, it is like music created with loop pedals, meaning created in subtle iterative layers building to a powerful wall of sound.
Happiness is fleeting. The wisdom here is in recognising that it’s also a destination we don’t naturally choose for ourselves. It requires a course correction. For many there exists a time when something in us froze into existence, a time – or is it a place? – we wish we could return to, so as to make different choices. This is the poignant story of such a voyage, and the slow, hopeful thaw it made possible.
June 14, 2022
Beautifully written. Full of emotiveness and nostalgia. Full of love and desires. Full of life and peace. Full of longing for what could be but won’t be.
July 17, 2022
Exquisite. Nuanced. Profound. Beautiful.
Nigel Featherstone has explored the depth, texture, richness and truth of interconnectedness in a way that will sit with me for a long time.
Slow-moving yet expansive, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is both grounded and ephemeral; mundane yet metaphysical.
A love story on a grand yet intimate scale, it takes us deep into the nature of family, devotion, betrayal, sex and sexuality, intimacy, loneliness, connection to country and to place.
It is an unputdownable novel that demands to be read slowly; to be savoured; to be absorbed.
I rarely reread books, but this one is on my rare and precious book list.
Nigel Featherstone has explored the depth, texture, richness and truth of interconnectedness in a way that will sit with me for a long time.
Slow-moving yet expansive, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is both grounded and ephemeral; mundane yet metaphysical.
A love story on a grand yet intimate scale, it takes us deep into the nature of family, devotion, betrayal, sex and sexuality, intimacy, loneliness, connection to country and to place.
It is an unputdownable novel that demands to be read slowly; to be savoured; to be absorbed.
I rarely reread books, but this one is on my rare and precious book list.
July 18, 2022
Vistas - Feelings - Music
This is a story which deals with filial devotion, with memories revisited, with the Australian high country as both a kind of refuge and of discovery - a freedom. There is an accumulation of revelation of revision and elucidation - honesty. Splendidly paced and tenderly written.
This is a story which deals with filial devotion, with memories revisited, with the Australian high country as both a kind of refuge and of discovery - a freedom. There is an accumulation of revelation of revision and elucidation - honesty. Splendidly paced and tenderly written.
June 8, 2022
A beautifully written, tender-hearted story that explores love and connection, complex romantic and family relationships, and the kind of memories we choose to keep and why. Patrick is one of those characters I will be thinking of long after I've finished the book.
September 13, 2022
Patrick is in his mid forties and working in a local Council’s Planning Department. It’s routine and dull, but as his architecture career failed to fire, this seemed to be a safe alternative. His divorced mother lives two houses away, and although currently living independently, relies on Patrick for countless things, practical and emotional. Patrick’s two siblings live interstate and overseas. After a rare altercation in which Patrick throws a clock at his mother (and misses), he packs a bag and heads to the place where the family used to spend happy holiday time; basically a barn attached to a family homestead on the Monaro Plain. A place where the three children felt unfettered and the tension between their parents lessened.
It is here he meets Lewis, planting trees on his grandfather’s property, and Patrick feels an instant connection. Over the following days - and extending his stay - Patrick and Lewis spend time together, including tree planting, until one day Lewis kisses Patrick. And for Patrick everything changes. “…. I was with my family, which meant I was who they wanted me to be, not who I wanted to be, who I longed to be.”
As a not totally out gay man, Patrick walks a tightrope between convention and abandonment. With Lewis, for a short time, he discovers the latter.
Then Lewis leaves for his home in Ireland and Patrick heads home to make reparations to his mother.
Without a spoiler alert, they reconnect a decade later and The Reader will have to discover what transpires. Featherstone writes with emotional acuity; Patrick’s sense of yearning is almost visceral. A splendid follow up to his previous novel “The bodies of men”; one that also packed an emotional wallop.
It is here he meets Lewis, planting trees on his grandfather’s property, and Patrick feels an instant connection. Over the following days - and extending his stay - Patrick and Lewis spend time together, including tree planting, until one day Lewis kisses Patrick. And for Patrick everything changes. “…. I was with my family, which meant I was who they wanted me to be, not who I wanted to be, who I longed to be.”
As a not totally out gay man, Patrick walks a tightrope between convention and abandonment. With Lewis, for a short time, he discovers the latter.
Then Lewis leaves for his home in Ireland and Patrick heads home to make reparations to his mother.
Without a spoiler alert, they reconnect a decade later and The Reader will have to discover what transpires. Featherstone writes with emotional acuity; Patrick’s sense of yearning is almost visceral. A splendid follow up to his previous novel “The bodies of men”; one that also packed an emotional wallop.
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August 2, 2022This book punched me in the heart with its gentle, brutal honesty. Patrick the protagonist...oh my...dear Patrick...he made me think of boys I went to school with, family members who finally 'came out' late in life...it brought back the AIDS fear campaign in Australia - that horrific ad with the grim reaper...how much damage was done. There is a rare simple honesty to the writing which kept me rivetted. This is an exquisite coming of age story which will have you weeping tears of joy. Highly recommend. (Please note - I choose not to participate in the star rating system).
July 18, 2022
While I struggled with this book in parts, the insights into Patrick's life and thoughts were well done. Having a friend who was similarly caught, being his mother's primary carer while struggling with feelings for others, kept me engaged. The strength it took for Patrick to break away was clearly stated. This rated above 3 but not quite 4 stars for me.
July 25, 2022
Beautifully written, but a little slow. Quite a tender love story. Very explicit gay sex scenes - not written to shock/excite, but necessary to develop both key protagonists. A gentle & thoughtful examination of coming out.
August 22, 2022
I’ve been thinking for a few hours how to describe this wonderful book which I so much enjoyed. So many stories with in that all made so much sense. Think I loved it so much because the main character Patrick just has this incredible way of explaining his thoughts and feelings. It might be around sibling or parent relationship, career goals, current jobs, a lover or hope to be lover or a geographic location. It is always so real and the author has a knack that has readers thinking, ‘I know exactly what he means’, or ‘I’ve been through that too’. I found myself feeling that Patrick’s siblings had similar traits to my siblings and some of the child hood memories, wow. Then as Patrick ages he has that blurring of memories we all have, until something sets off a recollection and what actually happened becomes more apparent. Patrick seems such a likeable fellow, but misunderstood and overlooked by so many. The story flows over many years and Patrick openly shared what he enjoys in life and the habits he feels very guilty about. Some times I wanted to reach into the book to hug Patrick and tell him it was all okay, that he was a wonderful person and absolutely perfect and caring son. I would so love to discuss this novel in a book club environment. I’m now very keen to read more of Nigel’s books for sure! Oh and must mention the incredible description of the beautiful Monaro region in NSW and lovely Bundanoon, Nigel Featherstone’s way of depicting these places has the reader seeing, smelling and truly experiencing these areas just by reading the exquisite written words.
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