Populate and Perish

by George Haddad

Winner of the 2016 Seizure Viva La Novella Prize Nick is treading water. No boyfriend. No career. Living in a granny flat in Fitzroy North. On a whim he decides to travel with his twin sister, Amira, to Lebanon in search of their estranged father. Their mother, who passed away a couple of years earlier, only ever referred to him as the kalb – the dog. In Beirut Nick and Amira find family, a sense of belonging and surprising answers to questions they hadn’t known to ask. With a razor-sharp wit, incisive social critiques and intensity of feeling, Populate and Perish announces George Haddad as a vital new voice in Australian fiction. 'A fresh and dynamic voice in fiction.' Tony Birch

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Australia, Queer

98 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2016

About the author

George Haddad is a writer, artist and academic. His two books, Populate and Perish and Losing Face, have both won awards, including The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist prize. He is a lecturer at the Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University.

Reviews

[Geneva Valek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm stupid and speechless after putting this down. I've never read anything with such straightforward sexuality - but that's probably saying more to the depth of my own readership. This is the perfect example of how exciting Australia writing can be and should be, plus THAT ENDING BRUH - Bruh.
It's a short read (which is lovely in comparison to the fuck-off copy of Master and Margarita gathering dust on my bedside table), and it's on Booktopia, y'all should take it for a spin.

[Emilie Morscheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lyrical adventure into uncovering an untold heritage. George Haddad's depiction of the world is savage towards hipster trends, nostalgic for family and laced with an underlying sense of destiny. While I could connect with Nick's search for belonging, I feel like I failed to click with this novella. It is worth a read due to its short nature but is not to my personal taste.

3.5/5

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Loving strangers knew more about me than I did'. This is what Nick/ Nassim discovers when he and his twin sister venture out of inner Melbourne to visit their dead mother's home land with a vague plan to find their father. It's on this trip, to Lebanon, that this immersive novella really hit its stride. But I liked it all, even the awkward bits, Oz fiction needs more books like this.

[Freida · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued with the setup, and there were times when the writing was on the verge of being rich and poetic. But there was way too much of *telling* and not enough *showing* throughout the book: on the context of their lives in Melbourne, the decision for them to go find their father, (how this was financially feasible), their experience of Beirut, the baseline of their relationship with their mother and thus the gravity of her lie to them… All of these things were key to the developments in the story but because there wasn’t enough *showing*, it didn’t feel believable to me.

I think the story could have been stronger as a full novel, where there’d be more space to flesh out characters or add events and dialogue. I also
wonder if this might be an issue of poor editing: there really is so much promise in this book, but the writing and the story would have benefited from being interrogated and pushed more.

All that said, I’m keen to read his other works to see how his writing has evolved.

[Amar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Joey Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to read something contemporary from Melbourne that isn't white bread. This short read manages to cover a family mystery, a trip to the old country (Lebanon) plus drugs, heartbreak, sex work, sex and smith st.

Sometimes it feels like Haddad is trying a bit too hard or being too obvious but mostly it all works.

[starryboy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"every day, there is a ball of fire that rises in the sky. It's been doing that for millenia. A huge ball of fire that nourishes and wakes us and keeps us alive"

"I feel like a person, born on this earth with inextricable links to different places. No ethnicity, no claim"

"There was nothing to do but look out at Lebanon and accept it for what it was, for it's cedar trees, it's caves, it's concrete. For breeding us, regardless of who our parents were."

A weird, short read.. I enjoyed how realistic Nick/Nassim's feelings towards being an immigrant child were, some parts were gross but some parts were beautiful. I liked it.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I quite liked this. Very different from a typical novel but not pretentious or anything.

[Janush Adabjou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storytelling. Made me think about the connection I have with my cultural identity and my family history.

[Jehlish]

What a propulsive writer Haddad is. Can't wait for his second novel.

[Alistair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella about place and identity seen through the experiences of Nassim (Nick) and his sister Amira, living in Melbourne. Of Lebanese descent, their mother is dead and their father - according to their mother - is still in Lebanon. Nick is adrift and dissatisfied, surviving on the money he earns from having sex with men. On a whim he suggests to Amira they travel to Lebanon to look for their father, not realizing that their mother had been spinning a lie for years. Meeting their Lebanese relations has a liberating effect on Nick especially; could he settle in this new country where he feels so at home?

[Dave Vito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novella which I stumbled upon via a website recommendation.
It's a solid, confident debut that I found to be funny and poignant. There are a few typos and errors early on and in the closing parts of the book but it's an enjoyable read. It will be interesting to see how the author progresses over time and beyond the 'coming of age' kind of theme that seems to dominate, even if he tries to put his own spin on it. Worth checking out.

[cney · Rating 5 out of 5]

whew !!! this caught my attention at the local library and honestly idk how bc this book is thin and that shelf was fucking packed but thank god i did? i don't wanna get pretentious but it was very raw???? honest?????? human? hell yeah though i really liked the characters and the descriptions and? the journey.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this book - it really got into the heart of the current Australian psyche . Fans of christos tsiolkas would really enjoy. I look forward to reading more from haddad .