Lion Attack!: I’m trying to be honest and I want you to know that

by Oliver Mol

From an inaugural winner of the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers comes a funny, energetic coming-of-age story that isn't quite like any other book you'll read this year. Oliver is a writer who's just moved cities. He doesn't have any friends yet, he can't get his surly roommate, Mark, to crack a smile, and the only people who talk to him are the odd assortment of characters at the KeepCup warehouse where he works, plugging lids into cups in an endless cycle. His hours consist of sweet, touching reveries of driving down the freeway with the girl of his dreams, and outlandish fantasies of bursting through the roof at bedroom store Snooze. At nights, he begins to write memories of growing up in pre-9/11 America, as he finds himself thinking of his childhood in Texas. But when he meets up with Lisa, the girl he's been writing to on Facebook, things begin to change. "Lion Attack!" is a startlingly original, ambitious work about a young man trying to navigate contemporary Australia and his own life.

Genres: Australia

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Oliver Mol is the author of Train Lord (Penguin Michael Joseph, forthcoming) and the critically acclaimed novel Lion Attack! (Scribe Publications, 2015). He was the inaugural winner of the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers, and is currently a Marten Bequest Scholar for Prose through the Australian Council of the Arts.

In 2020, the stage show of Train Lord won a best theatre award at Adelaide Fringe and proved a runaway success with a sold out season at the Sydney Fringe Festival. Oliver grew up dividing his time between Texas and Australia, and now lives in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Reviews

[Anna Spargo-Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This furious, strange book is remarkably touching. It made me want to write less. Not words, but just less about things. There is so much writing around the place and it tries to delve so deeply into things that it forgets to write about all the ordinary things, which is what life is.

[Sophie Shanahan · Rating 1 out of 5]

URGH.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't need to be so blatant with what it was setting out to try to do. The sentiment from the author's note at the start was repeated numerous times throughout the book. Readers could have figured it out easily for themselves without being told what Mol's intentions were. I get that his insecurities and doubts are part of his charm, but this felt like the editors imposing themes on a book that would have been fine by itself. Leave the cheesy context for the blurb.

[Shannon Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't wanted to write for 2 years, literally have not written anything in 2 years. After reading this book I want to write everything.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow. A wild ride of a book, though.

[Chloe]

Highly confused and uncomfortable with what I just read. No star rating from me.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t even at the end of the first paragraph before Oliver Mol was asking me to make a decision that had me squirming in my chair. I’ve never been thanked by an author in the first line for picking up a book, but he certainly didn’t waste any time getting to the nitty-gritty. The problem? Do I read the Author’s Note now and risk spoilers as Oliver has so kindly mentioned, or get ready for Oliver to ‘ruin me’? It was a difficult decision, but I chose the spoilers and got stuck into what is one of the most thought provoking memoirs I’ve read. Lion Attack! contains few, if any lions, but Mol has that way of sneaking up on you, making you laugh and then asking, should you really be laughing? In between the usual coming of age themes like life, aspirations and love, Mol is an astute observer of how middle Australia takes a lot for granted.

We meet Oliver just after he’s done a reading in Sydney. He wants to be a writer, but the reading didn’t really go down all that well (he thinks). It’s back to Melbourne and his everyday life, trying to write a book and starting a new job at the KeepCup warehouse. (KeepCups are reusable coffee cups – kind of an Australian institution amongst the socially conscious latte/skinny mac class). Oliver lives in a share house with no fridge (they keep the windows open to approximate fridge temperature), dreams of asking Facebook friend Lisa on a date and tries to make his eternally cranky housemate Mark smile. (Mark’s the kind of guy who gets upset if you borrow an onion and sets mousetraps every night, which Oliver cunningly sets off to save Arthur the mouse). In between these times, Oliver writes short fiction on his iPhone about growing up in Texas (the family moved from Canberra when he was in primary school) and posts it to Facebook. Oliver appears to enjoy his life superficially, but he’s a deep thinker. He relates conversations overheard on trams and in cafes, demonstrating that Australia is a lucky bunch, even though we don’t seem to know or appreciate it. He also ruminates on himself, forgetting to ask his brother how he is – it’s all about Oliver in Oliver’s world. But towards the end of the book, Oliver gains a greater insight into the world around him (beyond Facebook) and listens a bit more (like to Greek Martin Sheen).

I think Lion Attack! resonated with me because a lot of Oliver’s cultural and pop references are similar to mine (hello Savage Garden). We live in a world that is dominated by Facebook, Twitter and social media – every argument is solved by a quick Googling and people would prefer to look at Facebook friends than the ones in front of them. One of the parts of the story that made me grin wryly was when Lisa messages Oliver to look up now – and she’s right in front of him. It’s sweet, but you know, she could of said hello too! But I know that people my age wouldn’t do that. The casual use of swearing is another thing that I related to – bitch is pretty much a term of endearment and you can’t go anywhere without hearing a ‘f-bomb’ or three. I could go on – there are so many things in Lion Attack! that I nodded and thought, ‘yeah, I do that…my mates do that…I’ve heard that’. But there are also things that my generation can change – Oliver discusses how lucky we are in middle class Australia and yes, we are. It’s something that is often taken for granted but I think my contemporaries could do better (and if that means jumping on the beds at SNOOZE, well so be it!)

Thank you Oliver Mol for making me think about how I think and giving me a witty, crazysauce fun story to go with it. Thanks for the platonic kisses at the end of the book now, it was a little creepy but kind of sweet too.

Thanks to Scribe for the ARC - this book was freakin' awesome!

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

A girl goes to the library in search of some Sylvia Plath poems:
She has just moved to Melbourne from Canada.
She has just signed up for a library card.
She has just purchased a $6 bubble tea.

Upon arriving at the doors of the library she realizes that the $6 bubble tea is probably not allowed inside. She idles awkwardly by the entrance ploughing through her $6 bubble tea, $1 a minute. She snapchats a photo of a sandwich board that reads "Libraries: a great place to get checked out!", she throws her bubble tea into the rubbish bin and enters. The "Literature" section is found but the book is not. She is too shy and/or afraid of librarian and/or self-conscious of her accent to ask for help so she lets her eyes wander towards nearby shelves when BAM! LION ATTACK!

She opens the book to an arbitrary page and find the word "Melbourne". Perhaps this books contains the secrets to her new city. Perhaps this book will be the first Australian friend she makes. Perhaps this book will put her to sleep at the decent time.

Three days later she walks confidently into the library, returns the book and proceeds to collect her Sylvia Plath poems from the 'Reservations" shelf. Three days later she still doesn't have an Australian friend or know the secrets of the city. Three days was just the amount of time required for this book. She now feels less than re-assured; Sylvia Plath won't help with that.

[Karys McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lion Attack! both confirmed my worst fears: pretty much nothing happens in this book which follows a young writer pursuing a girl and working a shitty job while trying to write his book on the side… and then dispelled them: I actually really enjoyed reading it, from start to finish.

It’s self-indulgent, but the writing is KNOWINGLY self-indulgent, and maybe that is what makes it easier to swallow. Even likeable for the most part. Oliver is also really, really funny. The whole way through he had me giggling out loud and thinking, wow this guy knows how to laugh at himself, and those around him.

I liked the meta aspects of the novel (such as Oliver referring to the writing of the book, and engaging with the reader throughout) but thought maybe these were too plentiful. If the engagement has been a little more diffused, or even less recurring, I might have been on board. It was just slightly overdone.

That aside, this slice-of-life memoir is self-depreciating, thoughtful and very funny. It’s easy to get through, but offers plenty to think about. I’m giving Lion Attack! three stars, and would recommend it to any young Australians who’ve struggled with identity and desire.

Read more on my blog: Middle Chapter

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like a boozy night out with a friend who gets you on every possible level. The book makes a point by pronouncing itself as overtly honest which at times can feel cloying, however given that the guy is roughly the same age as myself, the experiences he's written about are touching and relatable. I found myself at times reading a book that served as a prompt for nostalgic contemplation, a wistfulness I wasn't really able to shake for a week or so afterwards. Thoroughly engaging and written with a terseness that felt like a Gen Y Hemingway, if Hemingway fucked off fishing and women and instead was plagued with social anxiety.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely treasured 'Lion Attack!'. A must read for Gen Y. Poignant, raw and powerful. Oliver Mol is the real deal.

[Star Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down, it's raw and honest and real and I loved it!

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars because it took a while to get into it but I'm glad I persevered.
Part memoir, rambling stream of consciousness, and mind games between what is real and what he would like to happen. The book is scattered with quirky humour and classic descriptions of schooling in America, living in a group house and working in a factory in Melbourne - with characters like Greek Martin Sheen and Mother Hen. However it is also about growing up; the loneliness of living away from home and keeping in touch; plus the new possibilities of making new friends and enjoying meaningful sex.

[Emma Grace, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indulgent in the best way, Lion Attack! is a book that revels in the basic nature of the English language and the essential elements of story telling. It is simultaneously self deprecating and equally blunt, in the best way. Reading this book is like having a long drink of cold water and feeling satisfied. When I finished the last sentence and shut the book, I felt as if my body and my brain had been hydrated; I even wrote three short stories. Thank you Oliver for imparting your wit and honesty onto me.

[Nicole Gerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished your book. I made myself read it in tiny bursts, very slowly, because it is very special, and you are very special. I closed my eyes when I finished and I felt those little platonic kisses cascading over me. It felt really nice. You're a really good person, Oliver. You deserve to have a lot of good stuff happen to you. I hope that something happens today that makes you smile with your eyes closed, and feel warm, happy, maybe like time has stopped.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing. every sentence felt so poignant and different to anything you've read before. it's one of those books youre scared to recommend to a friend because on the one hand, you want them to read something amazing but on the other hand it's so important that it can't be shared with anyone and kept only close to your heart. it's that kind of book. if you don't believe me just read it and see for yourself.

[Troy]

Oliver Mol is one of the greatest writers out there. I really feel like this book is the realest shit you've never read--what a shame! Truth and truth alone reigns supreme. Oliver is a supreme writer. This book should be read three-hundred years from now, just as Shakespeare is read now, because this IS what matter, truth and truth through humor and honesty. Oliver is a great modern hero.

[Kate]

DNF. This is the kind of book where differences in taste baffle me. I saw a whole lot of five star reviews, but alas I failed to find any comedy at all in this monotonous account of everyday minutae and random fantasies. Maybe it was the audio book narrator's trailing off at the end of every line like they didn't have the energy to make a declarative sentence. Oh well.

[David Mol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking into the literary world is difficult at best. Leading in a new genre is not only unusual but dependent upon a depth of understanding that vary few achieve. Oliver Mol demonstrates awareness of the changing social milieu and the challenges faced by the youth of today in finding their place in our complex world. This is a must read for every generation.

Wavinator

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was something different.
Quirky and original, it captures the angst and desperate condition of trying to fit in.
The book is the author's first person recount of significant and insignificant events.
The writing is sparse and uncomplicated, real and raw. A pleasant read, something easy to pickup.

[Star Ambrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal, raw and very reflective of any 25 year old year trying to navigate work, romance, family and dreams. Felt very coming-of-age and I’m sure a lot of people younger and even older would relate. Looking forward to seeing what else Oliver gets up to.

[Lou | bookswithlou · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting to say the least. One thing I will say is sometimes it made me feel a little uncomfortable to read.

[Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver Mol's Lion Attack is a book that applies to all generations and is a reminder of what it is like to live in the moment. READ THIS BOOK!

Haracetamol

[Sam Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually 'read' the audiobook. It is narrated by the author himself and I really loved his pacing and rhythm. I think it really added a dimension that would be perhaps lost in an actual reading.

[Pallavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, partly set in Melbourne. This memoir has a very strong sense of character and it's hard not to relate to the author's vulnerability, humour and day-to-day life.

[Tilda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I try to challenge myself to pick up random books when I'm at the library and the cover for this one absolutely drew me in. I checked a few reviews, which made me wary, but about 20 pages in I knew this book was not for me. I found the author annoying (trying to come across as self-aware but then failing) and the cadence of the writing super distracting. Sorry Mr Mol, but I knew I wasn't going to make it. DNF

[Ruby Conron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction as I've never known it before. This made me feel very much less alone in my own head and thoughts, and for that I am very grateful

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like if you took Bukowski and stripped away everything that made him interesting and compelling and replaced it with an upper-middle class white kid that had nothing to say. So sick of reading about boys embarrassed to be men. "I want to make a T-shirt that says, “Men: if you feel like crying just do it. It’s okay. Crying is healthy, probably more than carrots.”" Just another book trying to be deep but failing miserably. Avoid at all costs.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsure how to evaluate this one! Mol's writing and maturity is clearly still developing. There were parts that I felt were a bit overkill and others that were refreshingly perceptive. It will be interesting to see what his next work is like.

[Nick Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

P Melbourne.