Two connected novellas written late in Astley's lifetime. To be honest, I thought the conceit of the first, The Genteel Poverty Bus Company was stronger than the execution, although it has its powerful moments. It is a story of missed connections, of humans attempting to retain individualism in the face of cultural flatness, of raging against the corporate storm, and of memory.

The villain of the first novella returns as a more-rounded character in the second, Inventing the Weather which is classic Astley. She remains one of the greatest writers Australia has yet produced, and - although it's a short and somewhat slight work - this is a very enjoyable meditation on what we try to achieve, and what we do if we fail. ( )

2 novella linked by their protagonists being known to each other. Though their stories are linked, they are not the same story. Both have reasons for escaping their old lives. Set in queensland. Well written. ( )