City by James Roy
![cover image](https://www.readplus.com.au/covers/city1.jpg)
UQP, 2012. ISBN 9780702249266.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Short stories. CBCA Older Readers
Notables 2013. A companion volume to the award winning short story
collection Town (Ethel Turner Prize, Inkys 2008, German
Youth Literature Prize shortlist 2011), City is a
compilation of connected short stories about young people in a city
which feels familiar but which remains unnamed. The young people are
linked in different ways, through acquaintances, or chance meetings
or the poetry of the unnamed Poet who leaves a haiku in strange
places.
These are a series of striking stories that leave the reader with
many unanswered questions and the need to go back and examine
stories for hints to identity and connectedness. Each can be read as
a stand-alone but reading the whole feels a feeling of satisfaction
about guessing some of the connections and frustration about not
knowing others. Some stories stand out. The Driver was so
memorable, as three young men make mistake after mistake in an
attempt to help out a friend. The poor decision making is
highlighted by hilarious dialogue from Mitch, who can see the
stupidity of what he is doing but seems powerless to stop himself
from behaving in a lawless fashion. Toyota of the beast
pulses with the emotions of Vee, who was visited by an ex-boyfriend
and was reminded of the time when 'a bunch of pissed idiots
threatened to gang up' on her. Vulture days tugs the
heartstrings with the story of Josie a pregnant schoolgirl who shows
her writing to a visiting author and learns more about writing and
life than she expects. Threading through the stories are the haikus
of the unknown poet who writes them in strange places, hoping that
strangers will find them.
There are many ideas to explore in City that would have
great appeal to adolescents, all leavened with authentic dialogue
and often funny or poignant situations. Themes like dangerous
driving, drug taking, death of a parent, unrequited love, music and
poetry are linked together in a challenging whole. This would make
an excellent literature circle book or class set for older teens. A
book
trailer is available from Roy's webpage and there is a Sydney
Writers' Centre interview
with James Roy about the collection.
Pat Pledger