Navel gazing in the eighties: Review of Grant Caldwell, 'Love & Derangement' Australian Scholarly Publishing, North Melbourne 2014. ISBN 9781925003871, Pb 220pp AUD29.95

Abstract

Grant Caldwell's novel 'Love & Derangement' is set in the eighties, mostly in Sydney with the odd excursion to Melbourne, the North Coast or Queensland. From the acknowledgments it is clear that it has had a long gestation, with part of it having been written as a MA thesis for the University of Melbourne. It concerns Aiden Wallis, a writer and poet. Aiden is continually producing small books from small presses, and, given Caldwell's own copious output of small books from small presses, there is some temptation to read an autobiographical element into the book. This would be unwise.