The first full-length novel from A.S. Patrić, ‘Black Rock White City’

Scott Eathorne Quikmark Media
‘I couldn’t put it down’ -Christos Tsiolkas, ‘‘Eminently readable’ -Books + Publishing

Black Rock White City (Transit Lounge, April 2015, $29.95) is a novel about the damages of war, the limits of choice, and the hope of love. During a hot Melbourne summer Jovan’s cleaning work at a bayside hospital is disrupted by acts of graffiti and violence becoming increasingly malevolent. For Jovan the mysterious words that must be cleaned away dislodge the poetry of the past. He and his wife Suzana were forced to flee Sarajevo and the death of their children.

Intensely human, yet majestic in its moral vision, Black Rock White City is an essential story of Australia’s suburbs now, of displacement and immediate threat, and the unexpected responses of two refugees as they try to reclaim their dreams. It is a breathtaking roar of energy that explores the immigrant experience with ferocity, beauty and humour.

A. S. Patrić is the award winning author of Las Vegas for Vegans, published in 2012 by Transit Lounge & shortlisted for the 2013 Queensland Literary Awards. Alec lives in bayside Melbourne and is a St Kilda bookseller.