Award winning Leura author, playwright and poet Mark O'Flynn will be in conversation with actress Olivia O'Flynn talking about his newly released book of short stories Dental Tourism at Megalong Books, Leura.
O'Flynn is the author of The Last Days of Ava Langdon in which he adeptly paints a portrait of Blue Mountains author of Australian classic The Peas Pickers. This novel was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, The Prime Minister's Literary Award and won The Voss Literary Prize in 2017.
Carmel Bird, one of Australia's most respected writers, said of the new book: "The stand-alone stories, ending with a comment on the ''cruelty and craziness'' of the world, swing confidently between a certain amount of torture and a measure of music, seasoned with some levity and sharp-eyed satire".
O'Flynn's stories feature among others - a young girl flying alone to Antarctica, a man heading off on holiday who meets the politician he thinks has ruined his life.
These are ordinary characters in unusual circumstances, trying to cope with the vagaries that life throws at them.
Then there's the unexpected repercussions of going to Thailand for dental work or floundering on the high seas in a sinking yacht.
Both comic and poignant, historical and contemporary, these stories range through vastly different settings, moods and voices.
Meet Ned Kelly as you've never seen him. Listen to an articulate budgie ruminating on his destiny. There are legal proceedings both in and out of court, as well as on the golf course.
From the domestic to the sublime and the sublimely absurd, these stories will take you out of your comfort zone.
Blundering through life, O'Flynn's characters adapt to the pitfalls they dig for themselves, coming to grips with their tenuous place in a world slightly off balance.
The special event is at Megalong Books on Sunday March 8 at 6pm. Bookings essential due to limited numbers www.megalongbooks.com.au. The cost is $10.
