Jessica Pearce, Black Inc. Books
Black Inc. Media Release
Black Inc.
37–39 Langridge Street, Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia
tel: 03 9486 0288 / fax: 03 9486 0244
http://www.blackincbooks.com
facebook.com/blackincbooks @BlackIncBooks
Black Inc. is an imprint of Schwartz Media Pty Ltd ABN 75 748 797 539
A Short History of Richard Kline is the much-anticipated literary novel by
Amanda Lohrey. Her first in over a decade, this is about one man’s search for
meaning in the modern world.
“I felt like a machine in which the battery had gone flat. And it was true that
simple things could recharge it for a while: a book; a walk in the bush; a swim.
But there were whole weeks when I felt oppressed by the sheer ordinariness of life,
its mindless repetition. Birth, death, decay, birth, death … ”
Richard Kline is average, cynical, depressed. All his life he has been haunted by
a sense that something is lacking. He envies the ease with which some people
slip – seemingly unquestioningly – into contented suburban life or the pursuit
of wealth. As he moves into middle age, Richard feels increasingly angry and
empty.
But then a strange event, a profound epiphany, awakens him to a different way
of living. He finds himself driven, almost against his own will, to resolve the
discontent he has suffered since childhood. From pharmaceuticals to New Age
therapies to an encounter with a spiritual teacher, Richard embarks on a journey
toward enlightenment.
This audacious novel is an exploration of masculinity, the mystical and our very
human yearning for something more. It is hypnotic, nuanced and Lohrey’s
finest offering yet.
Praise for Amanda Lohrey
“A master storyteller” – West Australian
“Cool, clear, accomplished” – Age
“Full of gorgeously framed images and language that begs the reader to wholly
enter the lives she renders” – Canberra Times
“Lohrey achieves a kind of perfection” – Sydney Morning Herald
ISBN: 978-1-86395-718-2 • RRP $29.99
March 2015 Release • 272 pages
Also available as an ebook
Amanda Lohrey is the
author of many acclaimed
novels, as well as the award-winning short story
collection Reading Madam
Bovary. She has also
written two Quarterly Essays:
Groundswell and Voting for
Jesus. In 2012 she was awarded
the Patrick White Literary
Award.
