Ordinary Gods and Monsters

by Chris Womersley

It could have been any summer's evening, but of course it wasn't.
It was the end of some things, the beginning of so many others.

Nick Wheatley has finished high school, but he isn't ready for the rest of his life. His parents are getting divorced, his sister is downright weird and his best friend and neighbour, Marion, seems to have acquired a boyfriend.

One hot night, Marion's father is killed in a hit-and-run. There are no suspects and no leads. But a sly tip from the local psychic sends Nick and Marion into the undertow of a strange and sinister world they hadn't known existed in the suburbs - one of inscrutable gangsters, speed-dealing bikies and unpredictable, one-eyed conspiracy theorists.

It's a world they'll be lucky to survive.


Praise for Ordinary Gods and Monsters

' Ordinary Gods and Monsters is a glorious Mozart comic opera set in suburban Australia ... So exquisitely written, so precisely choreographed, that it compels you not so much to read along as sing along with it. Only when the laughs are done, and the curtain is falling, and you are applauding like mad, do you realise that the tale has been much sadder than you expected it to be.' Aravind Adiga

'A perfect balance between dread and page-turning pleasure ... the compulsive narrative artfully blends coming-of-age, mystery, and thriller with a hint of the supernatural. I couldn't put it down.' Steve Toltz

'Beautiful, poignant and achingly nostalgic - Womersley's coming-of-age gem captures the wonder and loss of a simpler time.' Toni Jordan

'Chris Womersley's gods and monsters live in suburban backyards, bedrooms, playgrounds, cul-de-sacs and scraps of bush. Colouring this landscape with the vivid dreams and fears of childhood, he elevates it into a mythic realm, exciting and dangerous and a lot more. This novel is a work of magic. It's a note-perfect crime thriller for anyone who longs to see the world as new and to feel it as sharply as they did as a child.' Malcolm Knox

'A beautifully written novel that manages to be funny, suspenseful and incredibly tender.' Tara June Winch

Genres: Crime

303 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2023

About the author

Chris Womersley (born 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian author of crime fiction, short stories and poetry. He trained as a radio journalist and has travelled extensively to such places as India, South-East Asia, South America, North America, and West Africa.[1] He currently lives in Melbourne, VIC.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this romp through Melbourne's inner east in a hot, early summer of the 1980s (I think). Chris Womersley is such an underrated author - he writes with great warmth and wry humour, and really knows how to spin a good tale.

Nick Wheatley is 17 and is awaiting his HSC results so he can work out what to do with his life. He's about to start a summer job at McDonalds, his father has moved out of the family home, his best friend and neighbour, Marion, is about to go on a date with another boy and his older sister Alison is being... Alison. And then Marion's dad, Mr Perry, is killed while jogging at night.

On the day of the funeral, Nick visits Becky, the local dealer/psychic to buy some weed for Marion and gets drawn into a séance where the 'spirit of Mr Perry' provides a clue to the identity of a person involved in his death. Thus ensues a hectic investigation by the two teens, involving more than a brush with local bikies, learning about quantum entanglement and spooky action at a distance, and the most incredibly tense, extended chase on pushbikes (during a summer thunderstorm!!) that you can possibly imagine.

Despite the two main characters being teenagers, this is absolutely not YA fiction. It is a funny, nostalgic, quite thrilling coming of age story that will have wide appeal.

******************
And, to top it all off, my fourteen-year-old sister appeared out of nowhere dressed in her knickers and did what could only be described as a bizarre sex dance in the lounge room, in front of the cops and everyone, before running away. Not that it did her any good: after the police left, my father tracked her down to her hidey-hole under the house, dragged her out by the hair and gave her a thrashing with his belt. Of course I remembered all of this, although I hadn’t thought about it in a long time. How could I possibly forget? It was only one story among many but, like all the stories in our family, it eventually circled back to the various ongoing battles between my dad and my sister.

******************
it was almost impossible to tell what Alison was feeling from inspecting her features alone; her outside architecture didn’t always match the interior design.

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few triggers I have is addictive drug use. My brother was an addict from the time he was a young teenager till the day he committed suicide via an overdose, and reading about characters smoking, snorting, injecting, or swallowing any of the wide variety of drugs my brother took makes me very uncomfortable and angry. I also can’t stand cigarette smoking. This book features quite a bit of drug use (mostly marijuana and one instance of amphetamine) and the two teen main characters get the cigarettes out whenever the parents aren’t around. This was set in the 80s, so the excess smoking makes sense, but that doesn’t make it any less distasteful or stupid to read about in 2024.

The plot was decent, if a little slow, but I didn’t care at all about Nick or Marion or what happened to Mr. Perry. I think my lack of any kind of positive feeling towards the characters was a combination of the book starting off with a scene at the drug dealer’s house (I was immediately biased against Nick and Marion) and the writing, which made it seem as if the possible hit-and-run death of Marion’s father wasn’t really all that important. It wasn’t till the last 30 pages that I became truly interested in finishing the book and then it ended with a slightly ambiguous conclusion.

I did like that it was set in Melbourne, apparently near where I live (some of the place names were familiar). When I originally picked this up from the library it was because I mistook it for Dreams of Gods & Monsters and now that I’ve read it I’m not particularly enticed to read anything more by Womersley.

[Pat Annetts · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. A mixture of Jasper Jones and Boy Swallows Universe. I really enjoyed this beautifully written coming of age story, with a dash of mystery and a thrilling chase to top things off. Nick is a delight a wonderful mix of naivety and wisdom. Thank you Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liminal Australian Gothic, the familiarity of the suburbs combined with the oldness of things - houses, streets, sheds, cars, parks, cuttings. Old railway lines and tunnels long defunct, weed-filled land and normal median strips with old trees and fresh cut grass. Neighbours whose names you don't know and so you make one up for them. Male violence, female anger, youthful anticipation. The threat of storms and summer heat rising up from roads and fences.

This book was so good, for all these reasons and because of the way it always felt like something otherworldly was going to happen and yet really it was just about not understanding the world you've always inhabited. But then, there were always those rumours about seeing something strange down in the cutting...

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I know Chris. His new one takes us back to the mid-1980s, like Cairo. This time we're in the suburbs rather than the inner city and everything is a bit disturbing. Chris is channeling the uncanny and there is death and misadventure and sweltering weather and familial dysfunction. It didn't quite hit me as squarely as some of his others, but Chris is a marvellous writer and always worth reading. The ending is beautifully judged.

[Peta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quick to read but I wasn't that invested. I thought the plot would be better and a bit more thriller. I didn't really care about the characters and I found the plot quite slow moving. Upon reflection not all that much happened in the whole book really.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so atmospheric! Reliving a hot Australian summer back when not many had aircon.
I loved it!
The suspense was palpable in places.
The sadness that comes with moving on touching.
Thoroughly enjoyed!

[Mark Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, loved it.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fabulous book is billed as a crime/mystery but it is actually more of a coming of age tale set in the Melbourne 'burbs of the 1980s. I read it earlier this year and LOVED it so much, that I re-read it this weekend. Very moving but with loads of laugh out loud moments. If you liked Boy Swallows Universe, you will love this. And, just quietly, Alison is one of my favourite characters ever.

[Cass Moriarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Womersley’s coming-of age-story ORDINARY GODS AND MONSTERS (Picador 2023) has the beating heart of a thrilling crime novel. Skilfully written, with engaging characters and the familiar themes of adolescents transversing that liminal time between childhood and the adult world, the book is pulsing with authenticity with a touch of magical realism. It reminds me a little of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe, insomuch as it concerns an earnest, slightly anxious young boy dealing with badly behaved adults (from unfaithful or absent parents to proper bikie criminals) and their equally terrible actions.

The story is page-turning and breath-taking as we follow high school graduate Nick Wheatley and his best friend and neighbour Marion over a few intense days of summer, when ‘it was the end of some things, the beginning of so many others’. When Marion’s father is killed in a hit and run, there appear to be no suspects and no leads. Marion’s family is in mourning and Nick feels helpless. As they deal with their grief in teenage, casual yet angst-written fashion, they are drawn into the dark underbelly of their town through a psychic, some gangsters and some speed-dealing bikies. With nicknames like ‘Stretch’ and ‘Buzzard’, these dangerous characters (including a one-eyed conspiracy theorist) lend an sharp edge of menace to the story, which is balanced by more tender adolescent themes such as whether or not Marion has acquired a boyfriend or Nick might ever acquire a girlfriend, and the rather oddly endearing character of Nick’s older sister who perhaps has a mental illness or a condition but is certainly annoying and surprisingly funny. The book has many moments of comedy, much of it dark and brooding.

Womersley is a terrific writer, presenting fleshed-out and interesting characters complete with ethical and moral quandaries, wrapped inside the recognisable themes of a coming-of-age story, but with the addition of a mysterious unsolved crime which keeps the reader turning the pages fast. He writes great dialogue and makes poignant, miniscule observations of both the people and the places he explores. The title of this book for some reason made me think it would be a fantasy, but it is about the very ordinary gods and even more ordinary monsters that make up our mostly very ordinary lives. And while it deals with trauma and the uncertainties of growing up, and includes a barely there sense of ‘what if?’ (can’t quite put your finger on it; something not quite right; hairs on the back of your neck standing up; one too many coincidences), it also resolves in a satisfactory and hopeful way.

[Unseen Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of Pan Macmillan Australia to review.

Rating of 4.25.

Ordinary Gods and Monsters was a pretty awesome book from Womersley that proved to be one part crime fiction novel, one part Australian coming-of-age story. Following Nick Wheatley, a young teenager in 1980s suburban Melbourne, as he simultaneously deals with life, complex family issues, and his uncertain relationship with his best friend and neighbour Marion. Life becomes even more complicated when he is forced come to terms with the death of Marion’s father. Thanks to a tip from a drug-dealing psychic, Nick finds himself identifying a series of clues that suggest that Marion’s father was murdered, and he takes it upon himself to investigate.

The resulting story is an interesting mixture of elements that will appeal to a range of different readers. Womersley does an excellent job of portraying the life and difficulties of a teenage protagonist, and I loved the protagonist’s very relatable take on the various events, both mundane and unusual, going on around him. This dramatic, 80’s focused, character-driven storyline blends extremely well with the more crime fiction elements of the book, as the protagonist finds himself becoming more and more involved with searching for the person responsible for Marion’s father’s death. His unlikely investigation adds some exciting spice to an already engrossing coming of age tale, and you get drawn into his attempt to find answers.

The result of this plot is very interesting, especially as the reveal about who is behind everything is well handled and compelling. Womersley also adds in a very compelling final sequence, where Nick and Marion find themselves confronting the perpetrators in a dangerous scenario. The conclusion of this confrontation will leave readers wondering about what truly happened, and which I felt was a great end to this book. An overall excellent piece of Australian fiction that I had a great time reading.

An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 7 September 2023:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/05/12/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[Gretchen Bernet-Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the suburbia of my early life, I was instantly transported back in time, like an ode to lost Australian lifestyles. The feels came back, the cringe, the uncertainty, the desire to be ‘normal’ to fit in when in fact everyone is unique but nobody can tell you this when you are at that teens age because you don’t believe them, won’t listen. My mother used to say ‘Youth is wasted on the young’ and I relate to that now. Who doesn’t want to go back in time with the knowledge and life skills they have acquired as an adult? Right those wrongs? Get facts sorted? Chose the right partner in life? Stop smoking? That was what I had issues with in this book. While I love Chris Womersley’s writing style, humour-pathos, and his slightly off-kilter approach, I did not love the fact that smoking and drugs were so freely used. Young Nick and Marion were there perhaps as examples of how not to cope with parental death and divorce but I bet you they grew into pretty wretched individuals in their thirties.

Just so you know, I believe this book does not bare a resemblance to ‘Boy Swallows Universe’. Back to teenage Nick and I use the word ‘liminal’ because Nick and Marion seemed to function on another plane of being; what seemed logical to them was really smoke and mirrors. Loose ends tie up, or do they? Marion may have been at fault, Nick may have been more spiritual than he knew while they dabbled in the occult. The symbolism throughout this book is strong, right down to the incinerator burning of childhood stuff, child to youth heading to adult, grief to acceptance. Our thoughts change and we acknowledge human differences like Nick’s sister Alison (Marion’s brother Leo didn’t get much of a look-in) and endeavour to embrace our unique changes throughout life. While I was left with the feeling of a story half-finished, I have no hesitation in saying the tension was fast and furious when it needed to be and the era replication/dialogue is solid throughout. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, perhaps I needed more to go on from a one-eyed conspiracy theorist.

[Mark White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable but annoying in how dumb the characters are at times.

The story is told in first person. The problem is that the voice does not match the character. The narrator, 17 year old Nick, has just graduated high school but sounds a lot like a 50-something novelist.

The father of Nick's girl next door (Marion) is killed in a hit and run so the plucky pair set out to find whodunnit. So far it sounds like an Enid Blyton premise. This would have gone better if Nick and girlfriend weren't stoners and involved with some pretty shady characters. The kids do a repetitive series of really dumb things before the dumbest gets them caught by the bad guys. There's a not bad chase scene but then a series of accidents resolve almost everything, although there's a hint that perhaps Marion isn't as innocent in this as she seems.

I'm generally OK with loose ends. After all, life rarely has neatly parcelled episodes. So when the drug cartel's Mr Big isn't addressed and the pair don't get up the courage to date properly I guess that's still in their future. But then there's a random, gratuitous supernatural event chucked in at the end, I suspect simply to justify the title. It looks like an afterthought.

Overall the author has a nice turn of phrase but it doesn't suit the first person narrative and there are some structural problems. Sadly it's only an average score from me.

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Womersley’s coming-of-age novel merged with a crime thriller, successfully exploring a mystery from a teenager’s perspective. Best friends, Nick and Marion, having recently graduated from high school, confronted the death of Marion’s father in a hit-run accident with questions as to the identity of the driver. What transpired in their search for answers was an unexpected entry into a criminal world that hid behind the otherwise “ordinary” façade of their suburb.

What interested me most, however, was the portrait of the friends themselves and the support they provided for each other at this difficult time in each of their lives. Marion was dealing with the brutal death of her father while Nick was caught in his family’s struggles for stability, the deteriorating mental health of his sister, and Nick’s own indecision about the direction of his future. I found myself less interested in the complex plot that ultimately threatened their lives than I was in the astute characterisation, thus finding the novel “plot-heavy”.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Australian author Chris Womersley’s latest novel, Ordinary Gods and Monsters (2023) is an enjoyable crime thriller. Seventeen-year-old Nick and his next-door neighbour and childhood best friend, Marion enjoy the summer, having finished high school. Nick’s mum and dad are divorcing, the family home is up for sale and Nick starts a part time summer job. When Marion’s father is killed in a hit and run accident, the police cannot identify the driver. Nick and Marion decide to find the killer after a seance gives them a clue, leading to bikies, drugs and dangerous adventures. There are numerous references to Einstein’s quantum entanglement, that captures the essence of this tale as a “spooky action at a distance” tale. An aussie coming of age with a crime twist that is a pleasant three and a half stars rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very good. It riffs off making its narrator unreliable but reliable at the same time. And Womersley’s writing is very good. He is so adept at painting a picture. His passage on page 91 describing the ordinary Gods and monsters of his neighbourhood is just sublime.

I really liked the two main characters. They are fullbodied and completely relatable. Through them you understand their passage from the innocence of childhood into adulthood. I really liked their relationship and how it moved from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood while being true to their love for each other.

He also builds suspense towards the end which drew all the events together, or nearly altogether. There was something quite comical about Buzz and Stretch which was borne out towards the end. The underlying menace embodied in Alan and Becky was a good counterpoint.

I thought it was superb that the ouija board worked for them when it didn’t work. If you read it, you will understand what I mean. This book is a great read.

[Emma Balkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Womersley’s novel comprises a coming of age story set in suburban Melbourne during the 1980s. The title of the novel refers to the mundanity of suburbia and the stories we tell ourselves about our neighbours. It’s also filled with suspense, humour and a potential murder investigation. Nick Wheatley is feeling somewhat listless having finished secondary school and finds himself consorting with dubious personalities in a quest to understand the death of his best friend Marion’s dad. His own family is quite dysfunctional and he embarks on a part time job at McDonalds under the guidance of Barry ‘Jazz Hands’ Winkle while also sneaking around buying recreational drugs. There’s a good twist near the end of the story too.
I will be back to read more of Womersley’s writing.

[Pam Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suburbia, with its life, death, good, not so good, the mundane and the weird. Combined with that limbo time in a teenagers life when year 12 (high school) has finished and adult life is yet to begin. That drifting place of what is real and what is not. The past and future collide.
I enjoyed reading this book, set vaguely in the 80s, when kids roads bikes without gears and didn’t have mobile phones.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly this is my first by this prolific author.
Based on this I will be reading more...
This was a decent 'coming of age' set naturally in the 'burbs.....and 'rooting' for Nick !!!
Whilst this may not be an original premise for a book it has been handles with the appropriate level of emotion -drama to retain the reader's interest.

[Dom Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great holiday read for me - I read it while camping at the beach on Minjerribah. It is a very Australian story told through the eyes of a 17 year old narrator, who is trying to understand the past, present and future - that’s a lot for a kid who has only just finished school…
Better than any book I’ve written.

[Robert Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on it three quarters in. Despite the bookshop saying it moved at a cracking pace, I found it slow. Didn't find the first person point of view of the 17 yo suburban male realistic. Seemed strangely sexless.

[Eben Rojter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took this one away with me on holiday - had to be disciplined enough to put it down each need so I wouldn't finish it in one hit. Real page-turner, which balances mystery, humour and nostalgia beautifully.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in one sittingen route from Melbourne to Singapore, at the end of a thoroughly enjoyable four week visit to Australia and thus doubly valued for knowing all re-reads will bring back memories.

[PacMan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire book is set from a 17 year olds perspective, which didn't quite do it for me. Didn't understand all the supernatural goings on either. On the upside, a good writing style allowed me to wiz through the book.

[Dani Netherclift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant one by Chris Womersely. Movies should be made of all of his books, they are a lyrical, witty, tender joy every time.

[Ross Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Aussie story from a wonderful writer. Love his stuff.

[Janettef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a trip back to last century! This was great - story, humour and suspense.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable romp in the Melbourne burbs. Not 100% sure about last bit but have decided to not let it take away from the joy this book gave me.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of 2023.

[Luisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novel.. part mystery, part coming of age.. character development was fantastic.