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Into Your Arms: Nick Cave's Songs Reimagined
From an automaton of Nick Cave, to a man who can't keep his blood out of the food he is preparing; from a vengeful Uber driver to a spinner of souls; and from a boy caught up in a robbery to a girl desperate to save a failing greyhound, the characters who populate this short story anthology could have dropped straight from a Nick Cave song book. These 21 stories, from some of Australia's favourite creators, respond to Cave's visionary genius with their own original and unsettling tales of death, faith, violence and love.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2023
10 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Kirsten Krauth
5 books63 followersALMOST A MIRROR, my new novel, is out now.
https://www.readings.com.au/products/...
Penguin Literary Prize 2019 shortlist
What we make of memories and what they make of us.
Like fireflies to the light, Mona, Benny and Jimmy are drawn into the elegantly wasted orbit of the Crystal Ballroom and the post-punk scene of 80s Melbourne, a world that includes Nick Cave and Dodge, a photographer pushing his art to the edge.
With precision and richness Kirsten Krauth hauntingly evokes the power of music to infuse our lives, while diving deep into loss, beauty, innocence and agency. Filled with unforgettable characters, the novel is above all about the shapes that love can take and the many ways we express tenderness throughout a lifetime.
As it moves between the Blue Mountains and Melbourne, Sydney and Castlemaine, Almost a Mirror reflects on the healing power of creativity and the everyday sacredness of family and friendship in the face of unexpected tragedy.
‘Kirsten Krauth is a damn fine writer of amazing insight and empathy. I don’t believe there’s any character she couldn’t get me to empathise with, any story she couldn’t make me care deeply about.’
EMILY MAGUIRE
‘Imagine a perfect pop song covered by a hard-core punk band – Almost a Mirror will get stuck in your head in just the same way. A fierce, elegiac dissection of nostalgia, longing and loss, the novel fearlessly explores the true Janus face of art: creation and destruction, rebirth and ecstatic annihilation, trauma and remaking. The poised restraint of Kirsten Krauth’s prose makes everything else out there seem overwritten.’
KIRSTEN TRANTER
My first novel just_a_girl was published in June 2013 to wonderful critical and popular response.
https://www.readings.com.au/products/...
Penguin Literary Prize 2019 shortlist
What we make of memories and what they make of us.
Like fireflies to the light, Mona, Benny and Jimmy are drawn into the elegantly wasted orbit of the Crystal Ballroom and the post-punk scene of 80s Melbourne, a world that includes Nick Cave and Dodge, a photographer pushing his art to the edge.
With precision and richness Kirsten Krauth hauntingly evokes the power of music to infuse our lives, while diving deep into loss, beauty, innocence and agency. Filled with unforgettable characters, the novel is above all about the shapes that love can take and the many ways we express tenderness throughout a lifetime.
As it moves between the Blue Mountains and Melbourne, Sydney and Castlemaine, Almost a Mirror reflects on the healing power of creativity and the everyday sacredness of family and friendship in the face of unexpected tragedy.
‘Kirsten Krauth is a damn fine writer of amazing insight and empathy. I don’t believe there’s any character she couldn’t get me to empathise with, any story she couldn’t make me care deeply about.’
EMILY MAGUIRE
‘Imagine a perfect pop song covered by a hard-core punk band – Almost a Mirror will get stuck in your head in just the same way. A fierce, elegiac dissection of nostalgia, longing and loss, the novel fearlessly explores the true Janus face of art: creation and destruction, rebirth and ecstatic annihilation, trauma and remaking. The poised restraint of Kirsten Krauth’s prose makes everything else out there seem overwritten.’
KIRSTEN TRANTER
My first novel just_a_girl was published in June 2013 to wonderful critical and popular response.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 10, 2024
Nick Cave has always created immersive song-worlds, filled with strong emotion and imagery. Into Your Arms features twenty-one writers who selected a Cave song, basked in it, and produced a story – ranging from fiction to memoir.
This collection is best read with accompanying music. It’s as much a listening experience as it is reading one. A collection to take your time with, immerse yourself in. It’s a book filled with unique styles.
Stories made me laugh (Andy Griffiths), others took me to another world (Goldie Goldbloom), while some absolutely destroyed me (Toni Jordan). I particularly enjoyed how Melissa Manning, Mark Smith and Tony Birch tied their pieces to the music. Most of them made me reflect, ponder life. Many made me smile at their high quality. It’s a good book to dip in and out from, read a story or two at a time.
Kirsten Krauth has done a great job editing. It’s well-selected and laid out, each story carefully placed, often complementing others, while distinctively their own. Perhaps the best thing about this anthology, is that I've discovered new authors to get excited about, and to further explore the work of.
Here are some of my favourites:
Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart by Richard J Frankland
Richard paints such a picture with his words. Simultaneously made me smile, laugh, and feel the emotion leaping from the page. One of those pieces that speaks to your soul, touches the heart, and makes your entire day feel a little lighter, all the better for having read it. Here’s to Teddy, his catnip, and allowing our hearts to be taken.
“My heart was on the journey to losing one type of freedom and gaining some strange type of freedom, something was beginning to get a hold of my heart and I didn’t see it coming.”
The Grief of the Body (Spinning Song) by Goldie Goldbloom
This is what I love about anthologies – you end up reading things you otherwise never would, and finding yourself enjoying them. A magical tale, centred around Fred Spinner, spinner of souls. This took me to whole new places, and I enjoyed its thought-provoking qualities. Rich in creativity, Goldie dropped me into a fully-formed world, left me deeply connected to the characters.
“For the first time, he understands that it is not aliveness that attaches one human to another, but something else.”
Cannibal’s Hymn by Ben Hobson
A chef who can’t keep his blood out of the food he prepares. Ben throws the reader into the middle of a busy kitchen. As someone who once worked in kitchens, this took me right back. I could hear the machinery and noise, practically taste the food, the smells. Oh, that tainted food. Wonderfully messed up. Fast-paced, with a powerful ending. Loved it.
“As the diners’ lips smacked and they grinned, he knew he was with them.”
A Dead Song by Bram Presser
I loved the voice, the flow, the impactful way Bram used dual timelines. Powerful, authentic, vivid storytelling. I’ll never forget those flies, or the mouth that smells like the floor of a dirty pub.
“Pete in the room below was all complaining cos they kept the body there on his balcony for ages and he couldn’t go out and have a smoke on account of them calling it a crime scene.”
Dance Hall Days (Release the Bats) by Christos Tsiolkas
Heartfelt piece about bumping into an old school friend while shopping for Christmas gifts. Beautiful prose, manages to say plenty with few words. Christos effortlessly weaves the past (high school, family, concerts) with the present (heatwave, coffee, ravages of life). It was an amazing way to start the anthology.
“At high school, she had been the first goth, her face plastered with white powder that accentuated the almond curve of her enormous eyes.”
If you enjoy Nick Cave, or quality short stories, then this is for you. Best anthology I've read.
Many thanks to Fremantle Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This collection is best read with accompanying music. It’s as much a listening experience as it is reading one. A collection to take your time with, immerse yourself in. It’s a book filled with unique styles.
Stories made me laugh (Andy Griffiths), others took me to another world (Goldie Goldbloom), while some absolutely destroyed me (Toni Jordan). I particularly enjoyed how Melissa Manning, Mark Smith and Tony Birch tied their pieces to the music. Most of them made me reflect, ponder life. Many made me smile at their high quality. It’s a good book to dip in and out from, read a story or two at a time.
Kirsten Krauth has done a great job editing. It’s well-selected and laid out, each story carefully placed, often complementing others, while distinctively their own. Perhaps the best thing about this anthology, is that I've discovered new authors to get excited about, and to further explore the work of.
Here are some of my favourites:
Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart by Richard J Frankland
Richard paints such a picture with his words. Simultaneously made me smile, laugh, and feel the emotion leaping from the page. One of those pieces that speaks to your soul, touches the heart, and makes your entire day feel a little lighter, all the better for having read it. Here’s to Teddy, his catnip, and allowing our hearts to be taken.
“My heart was on the journey to losing one type of freedom and gaining some strange type of freedom, something was beginning to get a hold of my heart and I didn’t see it coming.”
The Grief of the Body (Spinning Song) by Goldie Goldbloom
This is what I love about anthologies – you end up reading things you otherwise never would, and finding yourself enjoying them. A magical tale, centred around Fred Spinner, spinner of souls. This took me to whole new places, and I enjoyed its thought-provoking qualities. Rich in creativity, Goldie dropped me into a fully-formed world, left me deeply connected to the characters.
“For the first time, he understands that it is not aliveness that attaches one human to another, but something else.”
Cannibal’s Hymn by Ben Hobson
A chef who can’t keep his blood out of the food he prepares. Ben throws the reader into the middle of a busy kitchen. As someone who once worked in kitchens, this took me right back. I could hear the machinery and noise, practically taste the food, the smells. Oh, that tainted food. Wonderfully messed up. Fast-paced, with a powerful ending. Loved it.
“As the diners’ lips smacked and they grinned, he knew he was with them.”
A Dead Song by Bram Presser
I loved the voice, the flow, the impactful way Bram used dual timelines. Powerful, authentic, vivid storytelling. I’ll never forget those flies, or the mouth that smells like the floor of a dirty pub.
“Pete in the room below was all complaining cos they kept the body there on his balcony for ages and he couldn’t go out and have a smoke on account of them calling it a crime scene.”
Dance Hall Days (Release the Bats) by Christos Tsiolkas
Heartfelt piece about bumping into an old school friend while shopping for Christmas gifts. Beautiful prose, manages to say plenty with few words. Christos effortlessly weaves the past (high school, family, concerts) with the present (heatwave, coffee, ravages of life). It was an amazing way to start the anthology.
“At high school, she had been the first goth, her face plastered with white powder that accentuated the almond curve of her enormous eyes.”
If you enjoy Nick Cave, or quality short stories, then this is for you. Best anthology I've read.
Many thanks to Fremantle Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2023
Nick Cave is a complete genius, layered, complex and so gifted. So it was an interesting task to read a compilation of short stories, written by fellow creatives of their own interpretation of a particular song.
As with all short story collections, I liked more than others, and here the range is vastly different. As is each of Mr Cave's songs. These works of art have many meanings behind them, and was a constant theme as I encountered each new story.
It struck me how each of us have such a vast comprehension of creative works. I was continually looking up the song lyrics and would be sucked into a longer search into this man's life, flicking between the lyric, articles, and the book.
This story to me opened up more of a curiosity into the man, this book befitting the wonder that is Nick Cave. I was curious to read the Reimagined Songs as I've been devouring the Red Hand Files.
Fans will like this collective of interesting and quirky stories. My favourite unsurprisingly is the more contemporary one about a young girl desiring to save a struggling greyhound racing dog.
With my thanks to Claire at Fremantle Press for a physical copy to read and review.
As with all short story collections, I liked more than others, and here the range is vastly different. As is each of Mr Cave's songs. These works of art have many meanings behind them, and was a constant theme as I encountered each new story.
It struck me how each of us have such a vast comprehension of creative works. I was continually looking up the song lyrics and would be sucked into a longer search into this man's life, flicking between the lyric, articles, and the book.
This story to me opened up more of a curiosity into the man, this book befitting the wonder that is Nick Cave. I was curious to read the Reimagined Songs as I've been devouring the Red Hand Files.
Fans will like this collective of interesting and quirky stories. My favourite unsurprisingly is the more contemporary one about a young girl desiring to save a struggling greyhound racing dog.
With my thanks to Claire at Fremantle Press for a physical copy to read and review.
November 10, 2023
Into Your Arms is a collection of twenty-one short stories, inspired by the songs of Nick Cave, from twenty-one Australian authors, who might also be singer/songwriters, poets, lawyers, teachers, journalists, podcasters, playwrights, scriptwriters, film critics, radio presenters, academics, researchers, and human rights activists. It is curated by Mark Smith and Neil A. White, and edited by Kirsten Krauth. Sometimes the connection to the song is barely apparent or quite tenuous, but this in no way detracts from these works.
In Dance Hall Days, inspired by Release The Bats, an actor runs into an old school friend, a girl he found in his internal reminiscence rather intimidating with a querulous energy. They talk about their current lives, plans, loss of partners; they have their survival of controlling parents in common; but it’s still all a bit awkward until they recall Nick Cave gigs they went to, reconnecting over their Nick Cave stories. Christos Tsiolkas. 4/5
In Do You Love Me, inspired by the song of the same title, Alice, on a hot summer afternoon, collates all the data she has meticulously gathered, including her personal experiences, and enters them into the program that will produce, via her shower-cubicle-sized printer, a 3D printout of Nick Cave. Her creation is soon crooning “Do You Love Me?”, but will he satisfy better than Sting, George Clooney or Johnny Depp? Kirsten Krauth. 3/5
In Red Right Hand, inspired by the song of the same title, thirteen-year-old Caleb Moody is, for the first time, one spectator of many, watching the notorious arrivals at The Show, a legendary illegal gambling game held in Pat Noonan’s bottle yard. Jon Jon Thompson gives him a running commentary as a race fixer, a blackmailer and a brothel owner pass through. What no one is expecting is armed robbery and murder. Tony Birch. 5/5
In Lovely Useless Things, inspired by O Children, when her favourite racing dog, Cheeky becomes sluggish, failing too often to win, Margaret knows what her dad will say. Three-year-old Cheeky has always been small, fast, impish, curious, has always loved to run. Margaret makes a huge sacrifice, desperate and hopeful that there might be a fix. Toni Jordan 5/5
In Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart, inspired by the song of the same title, a Gunditjmara fella is living on a property with three historic homes, alone bar a stoned-on-catnip cat, a pat-whore cat, a kelpie, and a potentially adverse diagnosis. The lady he hires to help get his paperwork in order, and her twelve-year-old son get a hold on his heart. Delicious-sounding stew recipe included. Richard J. Frankland 5/5
In Breathless, inspired by the song of the same title, Carleen visits Jed, comatose in the ICU after a car accident. On the drive there, she recalls how and when they started, remembers the good times, and when, for her, it ended. And now, is she trapped by the guilt that she was about to leave? Melissa Manning. 4/5
In Love Letter, inspired by the song of the same title, Alex drives the Hi Ace to Lakes Entrance, a favour for his good friend Des, a delivery and pick-up. Des, unfamiliar without Thel, alone and under threat, reveals his stash, which has Alex wondering, and the letter to Thel -intriguing- there’s a mishap with that, but still… Mark Smith 5/5
In People Ain’t No Good, it’s not Four Weddings and a Funeral, but Three Funerals and a Movie: Theo and Darcy encounter each other at the funerals of mutual acquaintances in sort-of sliding doors moments, until their cinema encounter. Kirsten Tranter 5/5
Into Your Arms (Five Ways) inspired by Into My Arms, is five short pieces written in the second person about longing to hold a person, from the perspective of an adult or a child, a child absent: given up for adoption, or stolen or lost or dead. Gillian O’Shaughnessy 4/5
In A Dead Song, inspired by the song of the same title, a boarding house, a guard doing a poor job, a room where too many residents die, all described by the dead body of another resident. Bram Presser 4/5
Sniffing Around, inspired by King Ink, is a circular interrogation about the sighting of King Ink that manages to include all the lyrics of the song. Andy Griffiths 4/5
Death Is Not The End, inspired by the song of the same title, surviving COVID, enduring a relationship break-up, watching a Russian invasion, attending the poorly conducted funeral of a friend, surviving fires and floods, and the phone dies, everything on it lost: time to go? Jon Doust 4/5
Straight To You, inspired by the song of the same title, an apocalyptic tale of micro-storms and strange incidents. Rhett Davis 4/5
In Cannibal’s Hymn, inspired by the song of the same title, Owen and Josie run a restaurant, but Owen has a fetish that means he really shouldn’t be allowed to prepare food. Can he control it? “Eeeuw” will be a common reaction. Ben Hobson 4.5/5
The Grief Of The Body, inspired by The Spinning Song, a tale of reapers collecting souls, an error made then unwound. Goldie Goldbloom 4/5
The Mercy Seat, inspired by the song of the same title, a corrupt judge stands trial in a place where no appeal is possible. Neil A. White 4/5
Burning Bridges, inspired by The Ship Song, a ride-share driver in a toxic relationship makes a big decision. This one has a killer last line and is without doubt the best story of the collection. Emily Brewin 5/5
Push The Sky Away, inspired by the song of the same title, in which a long-planned second storey house extension upsets some neighbours. Sarah Bailey 3/5
As I Sat Sadly By Her Side, inspired by the song of the same title, after the invasion, and the loss of everyone they love, two sisters watch departing neighbours and contemplate their future from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Mykalea Saunders manages to include mosyt of the song’s lyrics. 4/5
Nobody’s Waiting For Anyone Anymore, inspired by (Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For, a second person stream of consciousness reminiscence of youth and maturation, relationships and writing. A bit pretentious, might appeal to writers. Cate Kennedy 3/5
River Rising, inspired by Muddy Water, news of the flooding Ganga recalls a week spent decades earlier with an Indian sadhu in places along the sacred river. Anthony Zable 4/5
Most of the contribution rate four or five stars, although a few dip to three, and some authors indulge in that irritating practice of omitting quote marks for speech. Emily Brewin’s story is a stand-out read, undeniably the best of the bunch, while Mark Smith’s is a close second.
Familiarity with Nick Cave’s lyrics certainly enhances the enjoyment of these short works, but is it by no means an absolute requisite. With such rich source material as Nick Cave’s songs, and twenty-one talented contributors, some award-winners or best-sellers, it’s no surprise that this collection of very different pieces has something for everyone, and with their extents ranging from 4 to 14 pages, this is a collection easily dipped into at will.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Fremantle Press.
In Dance Hall Days, inspired by Release The Bats, an actor runs into an old school friend, a girl he found in his internal reminiscence rather intimidating with a querulous energy. They talk about their current lives, plans, loss of partners; they have their survival of controlling parents in common; but it’s still all a bit awkward until they recall Nick Cave gigs they went to, reconnecting over their Nick Cave stories. Christos Tsiolkas. 4/5
In Do You Love Me, inspired by the song of the same title, Alice, on a hot summer afternoon, collates all the data she has meticulously gathered, including her personal experiences, and enters them into the program that will produce, via her shower-cubicle-sized printer, a 3D printout of Nick Cave. Her creation is soon crooning “Do You Love Me?”, but will he satisfy better than Sting, George Clooney or Johnny Depp? Kirsten Krauth. 3/5
In Red Right Hand, inspired by the song of the same title, thirteen-year-old Caleb Moody is, for the first time, one spectator of many, watching the notorious arrivals at The Show, a legendary illegal gambling game held in Pat Noonan’s bottle yard. Jon Jon Thompson gives him a running commentary as a race fixer, a blackmailer and a brothel owner pass through. What no one is expecting is armed robbery and murder. Tony Birch. 5/5
In Lovely Useless Things, inspired by O Children, when her favourite racing dog, Cheeky becomes sluggish, failing too often to win, Margaret knows what her dad will say. Three-year-old Cheeky has always been small, fast, impish, curious, has always loved to run. Margaret makes a huge sacrifice, desperate and hopeful that there might be a fix. Toni Jordan 5/5
In Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart, inspired by the song of the same title, a Gunditjmara fella is living on a property with three historic homes, alone bar a stoned-on-catnip cat, a pat-whore cat, a kelpie, and a potentially adverse diagnosis. The lady he hires to help get his paperwork in order, and her twelve-year-old son get a hold on his heart. Delicious-sounding stew recipe included. Richard J. Frankland 5/5
In Breathless, inspired by the song of the same title, Carleen visits Jed, comatose in the ICU after a car accident. On the drive there, she recalls how and when they started, remembers the good times, and when, for her, it ended. And now, is she trapped by the guilt that she was about to leave? Melissa Manning. 4/5
In Love Letter, inspired by the song of the same title, Alex drives the Hi Ace to Lakes Entrance, a favour for his good friend Des, a delivery and pick-up. Des, unfamiliar without Thel, alone and under threat, reveals his stash, which has Alex wondering, and the letter to Thel -intriguing- there’s a mishap with that, but still… Mark Smith 5/5
In People Ain’t No Good, it’s not Four Weddings and a Funeral, but Three Funerals and a Movie: Theo and Darcy encounter each other at the funerals of mutual acquaintances in sort-of sliding doors moments, until their cinema encounter. Kirsten Tranter 5/5
Into Your Arms (Five Ways) inspired by Into My Arms, is five short pieces written in the second person about longing to hold a person, from the perspective of an adult or a child, a child absent: given up for adoption, or stolen or lost or dead. Gillian O’Shaughnessy 4/5
In A Dead Song, inspired by the song of the same title, a boarding house, a guard doing a poor job, a room where too many residents die, all described by the dead body of another resident. Bram Presser 4/5
Sniffing Around, inspired by King Ink, is a circular interrogation about the sighting of King Ink that manages to include all the lyrics of the song. Andy Griffiths 4/5
Death Is Not The End, inspired by the song of the same title, surviving COVID, enduring a relationship break-up, watching a Russian invasion, attending the poorly conducted funeral of a friend, surviving fires and floods, and the phone dies, everything on it lost: time to go? Jon Doust 4/5
Straight To You, inspired by the song of the same title, an apocalyptic tale of micro-storms and strange incidents. Rhett Davis 4/5
In Cannibal’s Hymn, inspired by the song of the same title, Owen and Josie run a restaurant, but Owen has a fetish that means he really shouldn’t be allowed to prepare food. Can he control it? “Eeeuw” will be a common reaction. Ben Hobson 4.5/5
The Grief Of The Body, inspired by The Spinning Song, a tale of reapers collecting souls, an error made then unwound. Goldie Goldbloom 4/5
The Mercy Seat, inspired by the song of the same title, a corrupt judge stands trial in a place where no appeal is possible. Neil A. White 4/5
Burning Bridges, inspired by The Ship Song, a ride-share driver in a toxic relationship makes a big decision. This one has a killer last line and is without doubt the best story of the collection. Emily Brewin 5/5
Push The Sky Away, inspired by the song of the same title, in which a long-planned second storey house extension upsets some neighbours. Sarah Bailey 3/5
As I Sat Sadly By Her Side, inspired by the song of the same title, after the invasion, and the loss of everyone they love, two sisters watch departing neighbours and contemplate their future from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Mykalea Saunders manages to include mosyt of the song’s lyrics. 4/5
Nobody’s Waiting For Anyone Anymore, inspired by (Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For, a second person stream of consciousness reminiscence of youth and maturation, relationships and writing. A bit pretentious, might appeal to writers. Cate Kennedy 3/5
River Rising, inspired by Muddy Water, news of the flooding Ganga recalls a week spent decades earlier with an Indian sadhu in places along the sacred river. Anthony Zable 4/5
Most of the contribution rate four or five stars, although a few dip to three, and some authors indulge in that irritating practice of omitting quote marks for speech. Emily Brewin’s story is a stand-out read, undeniably the best of the bunch, while Mark Smith’s is a close second.
Familiarity with Nick Cave’s lyrics certainly enhances the enjoyment of these short works, but is it by no means an absolute requisite. With such rich source material as Nick Cave’s songs, and twenty-one talented contributors, some award-winners or best-sellers, it’s no surprise that this collection of very different pieces has something for everyone, and with their extents ranging from 4 to 14 pages, this is a collection easily dipped into at will.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Fremantle Press.
November 10, 2023
This is an amazing anthology from a talented group of Aussie writers who’ve used songs from Nick Cave as inspiration for their stories.
Inside the arms of this anthology, you’ll find stories of hope and stories of heartbreak; stories of a bleak past and stories of an optimistic future.
Before I read each story, I found myself reconnecting and discovering each song. Some I knew from various places and some were like a new catalogue of tunes. I hadn’t fully realised the full extent of Nick Cave’s influence.
Like any anthology, you’ll find stories you love, stories that will stick with you for ages to come, and some you’ll welcome “Into Your Arms”. Everyone will find joy in these stories.
Inside the arms of this anthology, you’ll find stories of hope and stories of heartbreak; stories of a bleak past and stories of an optimistic future.
Before I read each story, I found myself reconnecting and discovering each song. Some I knew from various places and some were like a new catalogue of tunes. I hadn’t fully realised the full extent of Nick Cave’s influence.
Like any anthology, you’ll find stories you love, stories that will stick with you for ages to come, and some you’ll welcome “Into Your Arms”. Everyone will find joy in these stories.
December 3, 2023
To be honest, I think the idea of a collection of short stories inspired by Nick Cave lyrics was better than the execution but I enjoyed this - there were only really 1 or 2 stories that I disliked and they were easily outnumbered by the good ones! Besides, I am always up for reading anything of Christos Tsiolkas :)
An interesting novelty!
An interesting novelty!
November 25, 2023
I was excited to read this, like Nick Caves music much of the contributions didn’t land with me but the few that did were deeply felt.
November 5, 2024
4.5 stars
December 31, 2023
Such a fabulous concept, all the feels from Nick Cave songs and a collection of Australian writers. Toni Jordan offers a gut punch and Mark Smith captures a quintessential Australian voice. Cate Kennedy’s tale offers an older (ahem) fan’s perspective and Arnold Zable takes us to India for a suitably spiritual journey. What is apparent throughout is the love for Cave’s songs and music, and there’s some damned good writing along the way too.
January 3, 2024
An engaging collection of short stories.
As a Nick Cave fan, this book grabbed my attention. While all the stories are inspired by Nick Cave songs, for me the engaging part came from the well written characters and encounters that these authors have created, familiar to an Australian reader, set in an Australian setting (generally).
As a Nick Cave fan, this book grabbed my attention. While all the stories are inspired by Nick Cave songs, for me the engaging part came from the well written characters and encounters that these authors have created, familiar to an Australian reader, set in an Australian setting (generally).
November 12, 2025
Couldn't quite get into this book. The idea of it was good, the execution left me wanting. While some of the stories are excellent, some not so. I struggled to see the connection to the songs in some of the stories.
January 30, 2024
Great collection of short stories. Standouts for me were from Cate Kennedy, Ben Hobson, and Kirsten Krauth.
March 10, 2024
Really enjoyable along with the soundtrack
December 8, 2025
I think this book is brilliant, I love the concept, the majority of the stories were awesome and well-written. The Spotify playlist added an unexpected atmosphere to the readings as I listened to each track on repeat as I read its corresponding story. I hope that there are more books like this done in the future for different artists although I would read a sequel of reimagined Cave songs.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews