I discovered Andrew McGahan in the sparse lounge room of Darwin student share house. My friend pointed out that the lead female character in McGahan's first book "Praise" was someone I knew, so obviously I read "Praise" and was impressed enough to check out the "prequel".

"1988" is a slow paced story surrounding two young men who decide to man a weather station in remote northern Australia (in 1988). There's a drive from Brisbane to Darwin before the move to the weathr station, where the two settle in and go increasingly unsettled, with the inevitable homoerotic undertones developing as time drags on. ( )

This is story of a trek half-way across a continent - from Brisbane to Darwin - in the year of Australia's bicentenary, and the misadventure that can result from trying to escape yourself. Our two protagonists, rather than being heroes, are revealed as flawed and lazy creatures, emblematic of their generation: a wanna-be writer and artist who very quickly revert to a near savage state when left to their own devices outside of the constraints of ‘normal’ society.

McGahan makes a good go at exploring issues important to Australians living through the late 1980s- culture, alienation, the place of Indigenous culture, purpose of being.

I found this book very enjoyable, though some of that may have been because I was reading it while travelling their path in reverse – driving from Darwin to Brisbane. But this book will probably appeal outside the small audience of readers who have also made the same trip as the central characters; it should appeal to those who like their stories quirky, inquisitive and meaningful without being pretentious. ( )