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FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK
The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen
Shokoofeh Azar
Europa Editions, $49.99
Shokoofeh Azar fled Iran for Australia after several arrests and the translator of this novel, composed in Farsi, has chosen to remain anonymous, citing security concerns. Azar's forced exile has sparked her creative fire, and The Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our Kitchen blends fabulism, romantic and supernatural elements with a gimlet-eyed view of the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath. It follows a family from Iran's Zoroastrian minority, with Shokoofeh narrating her story beginning as a teen in an opulent mansion, closed and cloistered (the mansion was sealed by her aunt, in one of the novel's many vivid digressions). Shokoofeh comes of age and encounters the world just before the Shah is deposed, and a love triangle emerges – one suitor a communist, another a Revolutionary Guard – as the saga unfolds over decades. It's a vast and vastly ambitious novel that merges the reality of the political situation in Iran with overt magical realism – as grand and strange and humane as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, though sourced from different cultural wellsprings – the spirituality and myth of Zoroastrianism, and the elaborate narrative weave of Persian storytelling.
A fresh and sparkling modern literary romance from Jessica Stanley, Consider Yourself Kissed begins with a classic 'meet-cute'. Coralie – a 29-year-old Australian copywriter finding her feet in London – and Adam – a dashing, Colin Firth-like single dad – swap homes for a night. It's a way to get to know someone intimately without them being there – Coralie studies Adam's library minutely, drinks in every detail of his domestic life – and it's a prelude to a courtship between two well-spoken, educated people with endearing quirks. Adam pursues a career as a political commentator; Coralie wants to have children and be a writer herself. The shadow of inequality and eventual discontent grows despite their best efforts, and as Coralie returns to Australia, she comes to view her life as perfect in every respect, except that it doesn't feel truly hers. Stanley writes in a tradition that runs from Jane Austen to Nancy Mitford, and this charming literary romance queries the endgame in romance fiction, the happily-ever-after, in a way that lingers.
Rise and Shine
Kimberley Allsopp
HarperCollins, $34.99
Following her debut novel Love and Other Puzzles (2022), Brisbane-based author Kimberley Allsopp has written a love story that starts at the end. August and Noah have been married for 10 years. They've begun to drift apart, taking each other for granted, falling into routines that evade problems and short-circuit intimacy. With relationship breakdown imminent, will the couple remain a couple? Will they embrace singledom? Or learn to cope with the disappointments and irritations of life? Or rediscover a way of loving that fictional romance rarely broaches? Rise and Shine is a refreshingly adult book about long-term relationships. It probes the internal landscapes of two partners who question whether their relationship's working (and what to do about it), but it's outward-looking too. No couple is an island, and the book opens to broader family and community, taking in art and music, divorce, friendship, loss, footy, and a dog – all in sweltering Brisbane heat. Wise with wisecracks, poignant but without soppiness and sentiment, its textured authenticity will appeal to grown-up readers left cold by the more escapist impulses of romance and its subgenres.
The seeds of this queer feminist medieval romantasy were sown during the pandemic, when the authors were separated from each other, stranded on different continents. For the two maidens in Lady's Knight, Gwen and Lady Isobelle, it isn't pandemic so much as patriarchy that stands in the way of their union. Gwen has blacksmithing skills, loves damsels, and has always dreamt of being a knight. Isobelle, on the other hand, has everything a lady could want – except her freedom. Promised in marriage to the victor of the coming Tournament of Dragonslayers, she can't seem to find a way to avoid or delay her fate … until she meets Gwen, falls wildly in love, and they concoct a bold scheme to pursue their forbidden desires. Lady's Knight is an unabashedly anachronistic and entertaining sapphic romp. It's cheesy but fun, delighting in hordes of tropes from swords and sorcery, while taking up arms against a world of men (and dragons).
New Skin
Miranda Nation
Allen & Unwin, $32.99
Grunge lit makes a comeback in Miranda Nation's debut, New Skin. It's a heady and intense time warp to 1990s Melbourne, where two university students, Alex and Leah, meet at medical school, beginning a relationship that careens between idealism and cynicism, from exploring who they are and might become, to relieving themselves (of the burden of their own potential) through destructive hedonism. When they meet again years after they've drifted apart, will their passion for each other resurface? Should it? In many ways Nation's novel is a literary throwback, a Gen X love story charting the throes of youth during the years in which 'heroin chic' was a thing. The precise, unsentimental portrait of Melbourne youth culture at the time will immediately seduce and appal anyone who lived through it (raises hand), and for others, it serves as a welcome addition to the contemporary Australian grunge literature from that epoch – Luke Davies' Candy or Christos Tsiolkas' Loaded, say – which tended to be male-dominated.
1945 The Reckoning
Phil Craig
Hodder & Stoughton, $34.99
The title notwithstanding, much of Phil Craig's study of World War II and its aftermath deals with the war years leading up to 1945. And necessarily so. For what he is examining is the way in which, even as the war was being fought (and his descriptions of the action bring home just how bloody and violent it was), the peace was being planned. It's an epic canvas, ambitious, in some ways even Tolstoy-esque, taking in Europe, the Asia/Pacific and the quiet English countryside. There are many moving parts (possibly too many), but his main focus is on India and the ultimate establishment of the post-colonial state. Two figures loom large: the problematic Subhas Chandra Bose, who spent much of the war in exile in Nazi Germany and was leader of the Indian National Army (which fought with the Japanese), and Colonel Kodandera Subayya 'Timmy' Thimayya, who decided to fight with the British, defeat the Japanese, then negotiate the peace. Two divergent paths, same goal – independence. Along the way he incorporates the tales of ordinary people – such as a very astute English nurse – caught up in extraordinary times. On both a narrative and thematic level, this is skilfully told history for the general reader.
The better sporting tales tend to be about more than just sport, and this is the case with Katrina Gorry's record of a sporting life that has taken her to the world stage as a member of the Matildas and current captain of West Ham United. It starts in a Brisbane backyard where 'Mini' (she is five foot one) played no-prisoners-taken soccer against her brothers, played in a boy's side when she joined a club and copped regular sprays on and off the field for being the only girl on the ground. All of which made her more determined. And this is not just a story about talent, dreaming big and success, but grit too. Plus the setbacks, the constant pressure of competing at the elite level and the effect on both her mental and physical health. But woven into this is the unfolding tale of her sexuality, choosing to have an IVF baby by herself and falling in love on Gotland. Not to mention going on strike to get better pay and conditions for the Matildas. Her family looms large, as does the concept of the team. An inspiring tale, tempered by realism.
On Democracies and Death Cults
Douglas Murray
Harper Collins, $34.99
A key contention by British neo-conservative Douglas Murray in this study of the October 7 attack in Israel is that the region, and the West for that matter, is caught up at present in a Manichean struggle between good and evil – terms he endows with a kind of metaphysical truth – between countries such as Israel that stand for Life, and Hamas, which stands for the cult of Death and martyrdom. Not that he hasn't got extensive, boots-on-the-ground knowledge of the complexities of the situation. He's a seasoned journalist who went to Israel and Gaza after the attack and interviewed both victims and terrorists, citing examples – and it's deeply disturbing – of how exultant the Hamas attackers were. But the result is an emphatically one-sided assessment that excuses the horrifying, ongoing slaughter in Gaza of thousands of Palestinian civilians as a necessary war of survival between Life and the cult of Death. And Netanyahu, whom he interviewed, emerges as a dedicated war leader – never mind that the ICC has issued a warrant for his arrest as a war criminal. Highly contentious.
Often as not, this jaunty, serious and funny description of life as a criminal defence lawyer reads like dispatches from the law zone. Kalantar, an advocate and public speaker, recalls the day he decided to become a lawyer. He was seven, wrongly accused of making a face to his teacher and betrayed by a classmate, the injustice staying with him. Mind you, he initially took a wrong turn into banking, before an inspiring lecturer guided him into law. It's shot through with lessons from the coalface, especially in regard to making assumptions about accused clients – one, in particular, whom he dubs Genghis Khan, whose responses (through an interpreter) to questioning he completely misread. In another poignant episode, he outlines the way two close brothers fell out over the contents of their mother's will. In many ways, his subject is the human comedy in all its shades of dark and light. Not to mention courtroom stuff-ups and confessional moments such as his ADHD. Serious matters, but told with an ironic eye.
In 1802, the father of the smallpox vaccine, Englishman Edward Jenner, was satirised in the papers, one cartoon depicting him injecting a terrified woman who is turning into a cow (the vaccine coming from cowpox). The scaremongering and pseudoscience surrounding vaccination, as epidemiologist Raina MacIntyre shows in this clear-sighted, plain-speaking study, goes back that far. And, after COVID, it has resurfaced again with the rise of anti-vaxxers. Astonishing, when we consider that vaccinations over the last 200 years have virtually eradicated deadly diseases such as smallpox and polio, which are particularly dangerous for children – infant mortality rates plummeting. Pseudoscience is in danger of destabilising the gains of science since Jenner's day, and this is both a reminder of the massive health achievements of the modern era and a timely wake-up call.
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7NEWS
4 hours ago
- 7NEWS
OnlyFans Annie Knight: Is having sex with 583 men in six hours a public service or a dangerous dopamine trap?
OnlyFans stars are banking more in a week than most Aussies earn each year from performing extreme sexual acts, which they say simultaneously fulfils their wildest 'fantasies'. But experts have revealed the 'alarming race' to become young OnlyFans millionaires by performing increasingly shocking sex stunts for subscribers can have long-term consequences. Even super-successful Australian social media star Annie Knight recently had to 'up the ante' in order to cut through the saturated adult content market. Last month, she slept with 583 men in six hours to make content for her OnlyFans audience. Ms Knight told The Nightly that when she decided to host the Gold Coast gang-bang, she expected about 200 men to show up. Instead, almost 600 Aussie blokes — wearing joggers and gym clothes — lined up around the block for just 30 seconds of intimacy with the glamorous porn star. The tightly-orchestrated event, which a 'grateful' Ms Knight described as 'the best day of my life', tripled her income, which skyrocketed to more than $7 million a year. 'It was such an amazing experience. I had a lot of fun,' she said. 'It was definitely sexually arousing and satisfying. Obviously not every guy made me finish, but six guys did, which I think is pretty good considering they didn't have much time. 'It was my biggest fantasy but also great publicity and marketing. It really was a win win win.' Ms Knight calls these challenges, and her OnlyFans career, 'empowering'. 'I'm doing what I want to do with my body. I choose to do this. I'm going to earn money from it. I'm not being forced into it. I enjoy what I'm doing,' she said. 'It's been a lot of fun stepping into my sexuality and living out all these fantasies. It's my body and my choice, and I'm doing what I love. 'It makes me feel really special that so many people would show up to have an experience with me.' Ms Knight's rage-bait event followed similar stunts by other famous OnlyFans stars. In January, British porn star Bonnie Blue broke a world record when she slept with 1057 men in 12 hours. Last year, Lily Phillips, 23, filmed her 'fantasy' of having sex with 101 men in one day. These women represent a new breed of sex workers achieving fame and financial freedom by selling sexually explicit videos of themselves through OnlyFans. But experts have raised the alarm about the impacts these increasingly extreme challenges have on the performers, young women's perceptions of sex work and men's brains. Relationship counsellor Amanda Lambros said the 'sensational stunts', aimed at maximising attention and profit, are problematic 'in many ways'. 'While they're undeniably headline-grabbing, they also reflect an alarming race to the bottom in pursuit of virality and income,' she said. 'These challenges . . . commodify intimacy, often in ways that desensitise viewers and reduce human connection to a spectacle. 'It also distorts ideas around consent, boundaries and relational sex. 'When women's bodies become battlegrounds for attention economies, we're treading in dehumanising waters.' Ms Lambros — a therapist, author and academic — said these sex challenges formed part of a rapidly shifting sexual landscape in which ever-increasingly extreme sexual acts created an unsustainable 'dopamine trap'. 'What was once shocking becomes standard and creators are forced to escalate in order to stay relevant,' she said. 'That cycle is mentally and physically exhausting, and rarely sustainable. 'It also distorts reality in a major way. When men consume these stunts without context, they may develop unrealistic expectations of women's sexual availability, stamina, and enthusiasm.' And the medical, physical and psychological risks are real. 'Physically, repetitive or extreme sexual activity can lead to injury, infections, and trauma,' the popular PerthNow columnist said. 'Psychologically, the constant need to escalate for attention can feed anxiety, burnout, body dysmorphia, or dissociation. 'Not to mention the pressure of maintaining a hypersexual persona 24/7.' Ms Knight said she was conscious of, and tried to mitigate, the risks. 'If I was filming with 583 porn stars, I would say, yes, there's a large risk involved,' she said. 'But these guys weren't porn stars, so they didn't have huge dicks. 'The only time I really haven't made the guys get an STI test was for the challenge, but they all used condoms, of course. 'Thankfully I've been tested twice since then and everything's all good.' The Gold Coast sex worker also insists that her content is 'educational' and emphasises respect and consent. Ms Lambros said that despite this, the 'Instagram-ification of sex work' was filtered, lucrative-looking, and potentially misleading. 'It promises fast money, autonomy, and fame . . . but without showing the full cost,' she said. 'The top earners present a curated highlight reel. 'What's rarely shown is the emotional toll, safety risks, platform instability, or long-term financial planning.' Psychologist Shannon Webb, from The Banyans Healthcare in Brisbane, said the nature of these sex challenges means the women portrayed are often dehumanised by their viewers. 'Intimacy and sex are complex experiences, and pornography, particularly to this extreme, can desensitise people to what sex and intimacy means for them,' she said. 'As viewers become desensitised over time, there is demand for more extreme styles of porn content (putting) pressure on content creators … to do extreme acts they wouldn't ordinarily entertain.' Ms Webb, who treats clients with porn addiction at the luxury rehab clinic, said that in addition to the intensity of these challenges, OnlyFans creators were exposing themselves to the para-social relationships and the perceived intimacy their subscribers expect from them. 'OnlyFans not only makes pornography easily accessible but creates a personalised experience between creators and viewers, which can exist healthily but can easily be abused, resulting in unhealthy dependence and addiction,' she said. 'OnlyFans also promotes 'live' content viewing, which can encourage a greater sense of perceived intimacy, with followers believing they share a personal connection with their content creators.' Ms Knight admits subscribers expect constant attention and interaction. 'It's like a friendship as we do talk every day,' she said. 'I look at it more as if I'm providing them with company. 'A lot of these people work really high-powered jobs and don't have a lot of time to date, so I'm just kind of giving them that company and girlfriend experience.' Due to her fans' dependence, she cannot afford to disconnect. 'At the end of the day, a lot of the subs want to chat to you . . . and if you don't respond, they can often get quite offended, feel that you've ghosted them or ask 'what am I paying for?'' she said. 'So I think people will unsubscribe (if I take a break) and you're just not making as much money from doing video calls, sexting sessions and stuff like that.' The 28-year-old insists her success is 'definitely worth' the sacrifices but 'is not the easy way out'. 'You have to work really hard,' she said. 'I think you've just got to be 100 per cent sure that you want to do it (long-term) and that it's going to be worth it in the end.' Jenna Love, president of Scarlet Alliance, said the Australian Sex Workers Association supports 'sex workers to be able to work in whatever way best suits them' but cautions that most OnlyFans creators cannot survive on that income alone. 'Most OnlyFans content creators earn well under the poverty line,' she said. 'There are a number of big tech companies involved, taking a cut from OnlyFans creators, but the ability to have that level of flexibility and control over your own work is broadly a positive thing.' As for sex challenges, Ms Love rejects the outrage. 'I think most people are switched on enough to know that it's just a stunt and that is not the standard and not what's expected (from women),' she said. Ms Love said she hosted a 30-man gang bang for her 30th birthday which was work-related but also for her own pleasure. 'It was a bit of a stunt, but it was also something I really wanted to do. Sexually, that really appealed to me,' she said. 'I think what's missing from a lot of that conversation is that some people are into that, and that's OK.' For Ms Knight, there is no turning back, and she is now contemplating 'what to do next'. 'I would like to do, not necessarily a numbers challenge, but maybe a different angle, like single dads or virgins,' she said. 'Giving them the opportunity (to be with me) would be cool.' That almost makes it sound like a form of public service. 'Yes, that's exactly how I see it,' she quipped.
Courier-Mail
7 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Nostalgic reason Aussies are heading to Japan
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. If you haven't been to Japan this year, chances are you know someone who has. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, the first few months of 2025 saw 429,000 Australian arrivals in Japan - a 28.6% increase from the same period in 2024. And, there are plenty of reasons for this. Japan has delicious food, a unique blend of modern and traditional experiences, and a great exchange rate. But, it turns out there's one more nostalgic aspect drawing Aussies there - and honestly, it might convince me. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. Image: TikTok / @maybemackenzie RELATED: Aussies sick of frustrating act targeting bushland 'They have the cheese toast!' Aussie TikTok creator @maybemackenzie shared his experience this week heading to a Sizzler in Japan. 'When I saw there was a Sizzler in Japan, I thought, I have to go in,' he said. 'And, they have the cheese toast!' An absolute Aussie icon - despite first opening in the US back in 1958 - Sizzler was open Down Under from 1985 until November 2020, when it was unfortunately a victim of the pandemic. 'I'm pretty sure every Australian has been to Sizzler, and I really miss it,' he said. A Sizzler restaurant in Brookside, QLD before its closure in 2017. Image: Josh Woning. 'I think I need to go to Japan now' Aussies in the comments were shocked to see a Sizzler in Japan. 'I'm beyond jealous, you win at life,' said one person. 'THE CHEESE TOAST,' another said. 'I miss Sizzler so much,' said a third (and don't we all). 'MY CHILDHOOD,' another commenter said. Others said they hoped they'd be able to incorporate it into their own Japan trips. 'Excuse me sir WHERE IS THIS - research purposes obvi,' one person said. 'I think I need to go to Japan now,' said another. 'That's it, I'm going to Japan for Sizzler,' another person said. They're everywhere! In (kinda) good news for Aussies, it's not just in Japan that you can find a Sizzler. Once upon a time, you could find Sizzlers in Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, and China - in addition to Australia. However, all of these have now closed. Now, there remain locations in Japan, Thailand, and across the United States. Originally published as Nostalgic reason Aussies are heading to Japan
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Disney Store to open at northern suburbs shopping centre
The magical world that is the Disney Store is popping up in Perth this month, where fans will have the chance to get their hands on limited edition merchandise. The enchanting pop-up store will open at Westfield Whitford City on Saturday until July 20 and is located on level 1 near Coles. Fans of all ages will have the opportunity to shop beloved collectables, clothes, toys, decor and more from the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars universes. Evie Battalis inside the Disney Pop-up store. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian Alongside highly coveted products, from plush to merchandise direct from Disney Parks, the pop-up will also include brand new dolls, costumes, and limited-edition items, not available anywhere else in Australia. There are sure to be long queues of fans lining up on opening morning as the only other Disney Stores are located in the US, Europe and Asia. The Australian stores were closed in 2003. Launch day is surely not one to miss, as there will be giveaways and a free gift for the first 30 people in line. A giant Stitch toy. Credit: Supplied Also on offer are Disney Store Japan exclusive ranges from Urupocha-chan to cute keychains and the Disneyland Resort 70th anniversary vault collection. A Mickey Mouse plush from the Disneyland Resort 70th anniversary vault collection. Credit: Supplied People who visit the pop-up from July 15 to July 20 will receive a free ornament gift on purchases over $100. It is open Monday to Sunday.
