The struggle to be happy, work anxieties, womb-ache, loss, lust, aging, and money are some of the themes explored by Dr Jane Messer's new novel Hopscotch, launched in Sydney 8th April.
Set in Sydney in 2008, Hopscotch centres around the lives of Sam and Rhonda Rosen and their children, and tells readers about how society and culture changed post 9/11 and GFC. The novel is an incisive, comedic vision of contemporary urban life, exploring the endless human capacity for self-destruction, longing and love.
In an interview with Hopscotch editor Emma Rafferty, Jane explained that the different characters from the Rosen family allowed her to explore Hopscotch themes. She said, "The only way to approach this novel's themes was to have multiple characters, of people connected to each other yet also individual and distinct…people who are held in the dance because they are linked by history, habit, blood and if they're lucky genuine love and affection."
"I wanted to write a novel about contemporary urban life, remaining firmly connected that to the wider world of work and society, but which digs down into each character's inner self, their sense of identity, who they are in a visceral way…It's certainly hopeful about people's capacity for endurance and for making change."
Hopscotch is Jane's fifth novel. Her books include Provenance, Night by Night and Bedlam – an Anthology of Sleepless Nights. Jane is a Senior Lecturer of Creative Writing at Macquarie University, a regular contributor to The Conversation, has been a Director of the Australian Society of Authors, and a judge of the Australian Vogel Literary Award.
See Dr Jane Messer's full profile
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