North of Nowhere, South of Loss

Book excerpt: Janette Turner Hospital's stories have won widespread international acclaim for their dazzling style, intellectual depth and crackling energy. Her characters oscillate between estrangement and a sense of belonging, as Hospital herself has suffered geographical displacement from the deep north of Australia to the deep south of the United States.Seven of these fourteen stories were included in the 'North of Nowhere' section of Collected Stories (UQP 1995). Seven, including 'South of Loss', are published here in book form for the first time.