He spends most of his days drinking, and abusing whoever dares enter his space. Recently returned from prison, with his days of glory on the sporting field behind him, Ken resents being left to care for his Pop and mother after his three siblings took off. Mary’s oldest son Ken is a heavy-set six-foot tower of anger. Her strong connection to Bundjalung culture sits alongside her beliefs as a born-again Christian. Pretty Mary is the family’s storyteller and guardian of history. Mary, referred to as Pretty Mary to differentiate her from aunty Tall Mary, is Kerry’s mother. When his son Charlie married Mary Salter he became part of the family and later provided them with a house. He grew up on a mission, with no idea of where his County lies. Her visit is prompted by the impending death of her Pop Owen, the patriarch who is both admired and feared. Though Kerry’s eyes, we see the small town she escaped. The reader is introduced to the protagonist, Kerry Salter, as she tears into town on a stolen Harley. New Year exploded in a brief scattering of fireworks over the Patto showground and, as January creaked on, Pretty Mary retrieved the Tarot Tepee from the back shed, despite the persistent pain in her stomach. Ken punched out the wrong redneck and got himself barred from the pub for a month. Here’s a sense of the details Lucashenko captures in her portrait of the place:Ĭhristmas passed with the usual quota of street bawls, fierce hangovers and car accidents up and down the Far North Coast. Durrongo and the slightly larger town of Patterson are home to the usual suspects: fearsome patriarchs and staunch matriarchs, ‘pioneering’ families, self-obsessed gatekeepers, lost souls, hopeful outsiders, and prodigal children. In Too Much Lip, Lucashenko has created an iconic Australian regional community, one that you would expect to stumble into while driving through the backroads of northern New South Wales. What Lucashenko leaves readers with is a sense that the family members will heal themselves by protecting Country and supporting each other. Traces of settler-colonial violence and intergenerational trauma weave through their lives. Secrets are unravelled, character flaws are revealed. Set in the fictional Australian town of Durrongo, stories of generations of an Aboriginal family living on Country are shared through a fast-paced plot.
Melissa Lucashenko’s new novel Too Much Lip is a dark comedy about ordinary people.
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