The Spare Room - Helen Garner

I decided to read the spare room after the MAN Booker long list was announced. No i'm not blind, and yes i can read. Helen Garner wasn't on it. But i wanted to read it because of the anger that appeared on the forums that it had been missed. So i thought id read it. Glad i did! The spare room tells the story of a woman, terminally ill with cancer. She seeks help from a friend to look after her. Putting immense strain on her. The dieing lady refuses to accept that her time is up and looks into therapeutic measures of treatment, furthering the strain on her friend. The story is a tale of friendship and how far would you go to assist a ...  Read the complete review

It's nice to read a book where each word means something and nothing has been wasted. This is my first novel by Garner and it was a pleasure. I can't compare it to any of her other material as she was an unknown author for me and I was only drawn to this novel by the cover but I'm pleased I opted for it. The quality of the writing is excellent; if this is her usual standard then I need to read more of her work. I wonder if any of it echoes the author's life? I don't know the answer to this but it felt like it was written from personal experience. I expected it to be full of woe and misery, and whilst it is emotional in places; Helen's character does actually ...  Read the complete review