Donna Maree Hanson, Author and PhD Candidate

This isn’t a review. I can’t do that as I’m in this anthology. However, I wanted to say a few things about some of the great stories in this book and how fantastic it feels to be in such company.

The theme Belong-How far would you go to belong? Is a deep thinking theme and contributing a story to it marks a transition for me as a writer. I see it more and more each day and reading Belong brought it home to me. I’m not saying I wasn’t a deep thinker. I am but I have changed and my writing has changed. I am writing more for the way a story is told rather than telling a story. I suppose it was inevitable after nearly 10 years of trying.

Now flicking through a group of the stories

First up is Penelope Love’s ‘Border Crossing’. This is an awesome zombie story, complete with deep and meaningful commentary. I will look upon zombies differently in future. ‘Mrs Estahazi’  by Barbara Robson is a great story about how we (community) accept and don’t accept others. Very well depicted suburbia. ‘Norumbega’ by Linda L Donahue. I confess this story grabbed me and didn’t let me go. Loved the American Indian-Abernaki legend.  ‘Ice’ by Zdravka Evtimova had interesting and strange ice. ‘United’ by Jennifer Moore a sad little story that depicts reality too well. ‘The Gift’ by Barry Rosenberg was a very moving story of dislocation and assimilation by default. ‘All Tales Must End’ by Michelle Muenzler also captured my imagination. Cities on the move and the nature of the mob. ‘The Song of the Blackbird’ by Sarah Totton. This story stayed with me for a while and I wanted it to go on. I found it a mixture of grit and legend. ‘Iniation’ by Sonia Helbig marked a strong closing quarter of the anthology. A very interesting take on capitalism and socialism in a very colourful Australis. ‘Slow Cookin’ by Angela Rega- a great irreverent take on Sicilian ancestry and culture. I loved Nonna Elba. ‘The Hollow Ones’ by Kylie Seluka provides a change of pace to the pacific islands and the mysteries of the Earth. A richly told fantasy. ‘Deeper Than Flesh and Closer’ by Carole Ryles- you know a story is superbly written when 11,000 words sail by and you want more and more. Loved it. ‘Trassi Udang’ by Patty Jensen is a meaty, well-drawn space opera tale with Indonesian flavours which made me hunger for gado gado.

All the stories were a great read.It is hard to comment on them without giving things away. As a reader I feel the  collection does its work, it explores and measures what it is to belong. As a writer it inspires me to write more and to count myself proud to be among this great group of writers and their stories.

You can purchase you copy of Belong from

http://www.indiebooksonline.com/catalog/