Motorcycle Cafe

by Matthew Condon

The Motorcycle Cafe is a mosaic portrait of a fascinating man going through the motions of an ordinary life.

There was no funeral for my son. I remember it was just a small service in the chapel at the back of the hospital. The chapel wasn't even as big as the waiting room for the fathers and relatives. It had a wooden cross on the wall and chairs facing the cross. They had to telephone for a priest. It didn't take long for him to arrive and then it was just me and the matron and the priest. A couple of my best mates waited outside because they were still in their overalls. They took their hats off though because they had them in their hands when I came out.

The people at the hospital didn't let me see Frieda for what seemed like a long time. The whole thing was not real for me because I expected the child for so long and then there was nothing to hold or see in the cribs with the other babies. Everyone said to have some time off work but I didn't want to. I think of my son and how he would have been a man now. He could've ridden with me or raced with my mate's sons. I only have a piece of paper typed on an old machine because some of the letters are crooked. It has his name on it. They asked me what we were going to call him and they put his name on the paper. I can take it out and read it any time I want. Jim Baker - stillborn.

George Baker had fled the England of his birth to begin a new life in Australia, but he could not abandon his memories and emotions. Years after his death, many of his character traits reappear in his grandson, who must learn to live with a legacy that is both rewarding and disturbing.

Genres: Fiction

159 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

About the author

Matthew Steven Condon is a prize-winning Australian author and journalist.

Reviews

[Ruprecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first came across Matthew Condon's writing in The Age's Good Weekend several years ago. It was a thoughtful, melancholic piece about masculinity. When I saw Motorcycle Cafe at a second hand bookstore I jumped at the chance to read him in book form. I was not disappointed.

[Emily Fletcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up second hand after reading The Pillow Fight earlier this year, a book which really stuck with me. The Motorcycle Cafe features another side of Condon's skill in writing through his construction and description of place and action (I'm also more partial to it since the books set primarly in Brisbane and theres a thrill to reading about where you grew up!) HOWEVER this was such a frustrating read, since every time I started to connect with the characters, we changed narrator and tense, with no clear indication as to who was talking. What captured my attention in The Pillow Fight was the construction of authentically flawed characters, and the constant unclear switching of narrator and tense in The Motorcycle Cafe prevented me from really connecting with anyone in what would have otherwise been a cracking read.

[Jason Leiper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melancholic, detailed and feeling so very real. I heard echoes of my parents and grandparents and will look for remainders in a place I am nearby now. Half-finished socks and watery slippers. Accepting that a child's aeroplane can be begun anew even though it never really was for the child. I will read this again when I am older. I will feel sad again - and that will be quite alright.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Motorcycle Cafe, and was surprised to see it was Matthew Condon's first published book. I liked the setting (Brisbane) and the shifting viewpoints.