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This Is How by M.J. Hyland

by
July-August 2009, no. 313

This Is How by M.J. Hyland

Text Publishing $32.95 pb, 384 pp

This Is How by M.J. Hyland

by
July-August 2009, no. 313

Early in M.J. Hyland’s new novel, This Is How, Patrick Oxtoby joins his landlady, Bridget, in the lounge room. They watch a game show, and Patrick feigns interest in the contestants’ fortunes. It is an awkward scenario he wishes Bridget would talk more and he prattles on, making a faux pas. ‘You’re in a strange mood,’ Bridget says, eyes on the television. Bewildered, Patrick excuses himself. ‘You all want me to talk more,’ he silently complains, ‘and when I do this is what happens. I can’t keep up with life.’

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