Cory Taylor’s breathtaking debut novel, Me and Mr Booker, was officially launched on Wednesday night, and is our pick for Friday Book Club this week.
Sixteen-year-old Martha first meets the Bookers at a party thrown by her mother. The Bookers are young and English, and they make a good-looking couple. Meanwhile, Martha’s father is living in a motel on the other side of town, with a rifle he keeps wrapped in a blanket and hidden in the wardrobe.
Looking back, Martha could’ve said no when Mr Booker first tried to kiss her. That would’ve been the sensible thing to do. But she’s sixteen, her father’s mad, her home’s stifling, and she’s waiting for the rest of her life to begin.
Me and Mr Booker is a story about the limbo of adolescence and the appetites of adulthood, with sharp dialogue, moments of piercing humour and a voice that’s wry and authentic. Benjamin Law describes it as ‘sexy, smart and brutally funny’; we hope you think so, too.
Reading group notes are available here, and you can read an interview with Cory here. Learn more about Cory and her writing by listening to this podcast with Valerie Khoo from the Sydney Writers' Centre.
As always, we’d love to hear what you think! Let us know on facebook or twitter.
