The Lucky Galah

Book excerpt: LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2019 "Subtle, disarming and insightful" Rosalie Ham, author of the bestselling novel The Dressmaker A magnificent novel about fate, Australia and what it means to be human... it just happens to be narrated by a galah called Lucky. It's 1969 and a remote coastal town in Western Australia is poised to play a pivotal part in the moon landing. Perched on the red dunes of its outskirts looms the great Dish: a relay for messages between Apollo 11 and Houston, Texas. Radar technician Evan Johnson and his colleagues stare, transfixed, at the moving images on the console -although his glossy young wife, Linda, seems distracted. Meanwhile the people of Port Badminton have gathered to watch Armstrong's small step on a single television sitting centre stage in the old theatre. The Kelly family, a crop of redheads, sit in rare silence. Roo shooters at the back of the hall squint through their rifles to see the tiny screen. I'm in my cage on the Kelly's back verandah. I sit here, unheard, underestimated, biscuit crumbs on my beak. But fate is a curious thing. For just as Evan Johnson's story is about to end (and perhaps with a giant leap), my story prepares to take flight... SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 RUSSELL PRIZE FOR HUMOUR WRITING SHORTLISTED FOR THE UST GLENDA ADAMS AWARD FOR NEW WRITING (2019 NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS) SHORTLISTED FOR THE READINGS PRIZE FOR NEW AUSTRALIAN FICTION 2018 LONGLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020 PRAISE FOR THE LUCKY GALAH "A fresh and surprising novel - thoroughly Australian, joyful and magnificently original" Charlotte Wood, author The Natural Way of Things "This book is a bundle of Australian kook ready to disarm, charm and move its readers. Embrace it." Booktopia "This clever and enjoyable book will appeal to a broad range of readers." Books + Publishing "The Lucky Galah is a bold and astoundingly brave novel..." The Newtown Review of Books "It is a book that is at once humorous and heartfelt, and evokes a specific era in Australian history very well." Readings