Publication Type: Book

Transgressive Fiction

Sex, Style and Taboos

Publication details

Publication date: July 1, 2021

Publisher: ibidem Press

Everything in its Right Place

‘Equal parts harrowing coming of age story, and paean to the joys of a misspent youth, Everything in its Right Place is a heartbreaking, lyrical love letter to overcoming trauma, and finding oneself in the bohemian heart of Melbourne.’
Liam Pieper, author of The Feel-Good Hit of the Year and Sweetness and Light

Coburg, Melbourne. Ford McCullen is growing up with his mother Deidre and his Pop and Noonie in ‘The Compound’, a pair of units in the shadow of Pentridge prison. His father, Robert, has left them to live in the bush with his new male partner. Nobody is coping.

When Ford’s paternal grandmother Queenie’s good fortune allows him to attend a prestigious Catholic private school on the other side of the river and to learn the violin, Ford finds himself balancing separate identities. At school he sees himself being moulded into an image that is not his own, something at odds with the rough and tumble of his beloved north.

Crumbling under the weight of his family’s expectations and realising that he just might be the only adult amongst them, Ford embarks on a quest for meaning while navigating the uncomfortable realities of his father’s life, his mother’s ongoing crisis, and the pillars of football and religion, delving ever deeper into a fraught search for the source of the ‘McCullen curse’.

Everything in its Right Place tackles themes of class, love and sexuality with humour, truth and grit. It is a story of the legacies and dilemmas that families bring, of how we all must find our own way, astonishingly told.

‘Powerful and urgent. Crackling with energy and wit, Everything in its Right Place is a dark joyride of a read, its danger and beauty announcing a roaring new talent.’
Roger Averill, author of Relatively Famous and Keeping Faith

A Very Modern Dictionary: Volume 2

Does internet jargon generally make you break out into a panicky sweat? Ever wondered WTF people mean when describing everything as “lit AF”? Can you explain the difference between FOMO and JOMO? Do you really still think that literally only means “literally”?

A Very Modern Dictionary is a handy guide to the ever-evolving landscape of modern communication, with over 600 newfangled words, phrases, acronyms, abbreviations, initialisms and portmanteaus. This dictionary will lend a helping hand to those of us who feel confused, befuddled, or like, really, really old when navigating the murky waters of the English language in the twenty-first century.

Superfans

Music's most dedicated: From Beatlemania to the Beyhive

Musicians and bands have been adored since the first notes were recorded, but it was Beatlemania in the ’60s that heralded the birth of the Super Fan – a breed of music obsessive that literally worshipped their idols. Super Fans looks at the crazed followers and fan groups that surround the old-school as well as more modern music scene in a witty, fun and tongue-in-cheek way. From Beyoncé’s Beyhive, the Britney Army, Gaga’s Little Monsters, Nicki Minaj’s Barbz to Justin Beiber’s Beliebers – author Tobias Anthony delves deep into these fan groups to see how they tick.

Ginger Pride

A red-headed history of the world

Carrot-top. Ranga. Ronald. Rusty. Fire-crotch. Red.

Given redheads only make up two per cent of the global population, why has society dedicated itself to inventing ever-more insulting nicknames for them?

It’s obvious: jealousy.

It’s time to stand up, redheaded and proud. Ginger Pride – your guide to the superior copper-topped world – details the red-hot influence that the carriers of the MC1R gene have had on the world at large, from ancient times to present day. From Adam (of Adam and Eve fame) to Prince Harry. Ginger Pride is the call to arms the redheaded community has been waiting for!

A Very Modern Dictionary

Struggling to keep up culturally? Don’t know what the phrase ‘on fleek’ means? Look no further than here.

The modern world is tough – what with all these new fangled words and phrases. Do you know your “bromance” from your “dudevorce”, your “turnt” from your “on fleek”? How about “bae” or “doe”. Or “Fomo”, “Lit AF”, “Tea” (not the drink), “Dead” (not the state of non-being)? How about the other meaning of “thirsty”? And do you know how to “throw shade”? We get it – communicating in the modern world is hard. Let us be your guide.

Should I Buy This Book?

Life’s Hardest Decisions Made Easy … by Flow Chart

Should you add your mum as a ‘friend’ on Facebook? How about getting that face tattoo? Is it the right time to quit your job? You’re at a child’s birthday party – is it wise to keep drinking? It’s late at night – are you thinking about texting an ex? Maybe you want to launch your Tinder profile? Before doing anything – think again and consult this book!

Should I Buy This Book? – think of it as the paper equivalent of a magic 8-ball – helps you make the best decision you can for life’s most common dilemmas using a nifty flow-chart. With five main sections – Work; Play; Romance; Family & Friends; and Body & Mind – and over 80 questions considered, we have your whole life covered.

In Line to the Throne

Prince Charles and the next 29 in waiting

We all know who’s next in line to the throne. Or do we?

Well, yes, of course we do. It goes Charles, William, George, Charlotte, and then Harry. But what if by some fluke of intervention these five lost their stake to claim the crown and sceptre?

What then? Can you name the next five in line? Or the five after that?

In Line to the Throne boldly imagines the day Edward, Prince of Blunders, takes the reins. We’re readying ourselves for the coronation of Queen Beatrice of Headpieces; envisioning the moment a little person named Isla sits in the big chair and orders the muzzling of her grandmother’s rogue dogs; and we’re even getting ready to welcome in, as King, a boy named after a tree. So, come on, get yourself acquainted with some right royal knowledge about the lesser-known heirs to the British monarchy.

Hipster Baby Names

Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Names For Your Kid

Having a child with a boring old family name isn’t enough these days – John and Jane just doesn’t cut it. How can you possibly keep up with your hipster neighbours?

Hipster Baby Names has the answer – give your child the most hipster name you can. For girls, you could try Anais, Enid, Beatrix, Beryl, Scout or Ethel, or Arlo, Atticus, Axl, Lennon or Bear for a boy. With helpful meanings (when they’re not completely made-up words – or taken from cult television shows such as Game of Thrones) you’ll be giving your offspring the best chance of a cool life.