A Minor Fifth

by G.S. Dickson

'David Mitchell and William Faulkner must have written a novel together. It is funny, sad, moving, engaging ... It's incredibly innovative, the point of view shifts, it's very funny and it takes a lot of risks but it's an incredible book.' - Rohan Wilson, author of The Roving Party and To Name Those Lost



Aussie rock icon Billy Ordain is dead. But how and when he died is more than anyone can tell.



Five people tell their stories of Billy, charting his ascent to fame - from jamming in the suburbs in the 60s, to his apotheosis as the most lauded, biggest selling artist in the country.

Five people who knew him remember loving him, helping him, being stepped on, ignored, betrayed.

Five people who knew him all saw him leave this world, but in different ways and in different decades. Amid the noise and hype of celebrity culture, in the mirrored madhouse of the media, who's to say what's really real?

A bitter industry satire, a vast human comedy, an experiment in tragedy, A Minor Fifth looks through multiple viewpoints at the legends we construct around all-too-human individuals.

Paperback

Reviews

[Aus Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know why no one has reviewed this book yet, it's because everyone is still trying to work out what it's all about. Very confusing to say the least. I am interested in the concept of it but trying to work out who's who, when and why is challenging to say the least.
I'm giving it 3 stars because when I got to the end I felt like I'd run a marathon but almost wanted to start again.

[Stephen Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I agree with the (only!) other reviewer who stated it didn’t make sense, I grasped and set that aside early on and let myself enjoy the weird, varied writing that constantly did the unexpected. Flawed but instantly recognisable characters. I feel like the author may have a masterpiece brewing with a little more polish

[Bethany Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t exactly what I expected it was going to be? I had kind of assumed it would be different people’s views of the ‘time Billy died’, as in, when he truly lost himself, or sold out, but it really was just a series of short stories about him dying in all of these different circumstances? It was a weird book, but I still enjoyed it

[Marilyn Sanders · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Horrible, not sure what this book was all about.