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The Beginner's Guide to Living

The Beginner’s Guide to Living

Lia Hills

  • award* shortlisted, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards
  • award
  • award* shortlisted, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
  • award
  • award* longlisted, Golden Inky 2009
  • award
  • award* shortlisted, WA Premier's Awards, Young Adult, 2009
  • award
  • award* shortlisted, NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2010
  • Seventeen-year-old Will is in turmoil after the sudden death of his mother. His father drifts and his older brother, Adam, stays away from home. Isolated and angry, Will begins a search for the answers he craves. He uses his mum’s old camera to document the experience and scrambles to find an idea for which he can live and die. And as if things weren’t complicated enough, he falls for sixteen-year-old Taryn. His final exams are looming, but how will he get through the tangle of grief and philosophy, sex and love?

    The Beginner’s Guide to Living is a stunning debut novel that announces the arrival of a fabulous new writer. Lia Hills has written a book about grief, ideas and experience, about those moments in your life that change you forever.

    Lia Hills
    About the Author

    Lia Hills is a poet, novelist and translator. Recent publications include her award-winning poetry collection, the possibility of flight. Her translation of Marie Darrieussecq’s novel, Tom Is Dead, was published by Text in 2009. Born in New Zealand, Lia now lives in Melbourne.

    Read Moreright
    Extent:
    256 pp
    Format:
    Paperback
    Text publication date:
    2 February 2009
    ISBN:
    9781921520075
    AU Price:
    $19.95
    Themes:
    grief, love, philosophy, sex
    Reading age:
    14+
    Australian
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    Praise for Lia Hills
    andThe Beginner’s Guide to Living

    ‘I liked being in Will’s world…it’s about grief; but it’s also about life, and living in the now.’

    ‘I was deeply moved by Will’s story…Lia Hills is a strong new voice and I, for one, will be looking out for her next book.’

    ‘Lia Hills’s debut novel is sharp and fresh…Hills captures the voice of true adolescent angst, and her evocative prose drags the reader right into Will’s breakdown…Will’s sexual exploration with Taryn…throbs with both intensity and genuine sweetness: the awkward realism of their new relationship is authentic and will resonate with older teens.’

    ‘Lia Hills’s first novel is beautifully crafted and doesn’t shy away from exploring first love, sex and drugs. Spending time in Will’s head makes for an engaging read and Hills’ talent for credible dialogue and dramatic understatement is spot on, as she picks apart the complexities of a young man grappling with not just grief, but the realities of life.’

    Other editions ofThe Beginner’s Guide to Living
    • The Beginner's Guide to Living
      ebook
      ISBN: 9781921799617
      6 September 2010
      Buy ebook