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Afternoons with Harvey Beam
As a young man, Harvey Beam got the hell out of his hometown, confirming his suspicions that you can successfully run away from your problems.
But after forging a big-city career in talkback radio, Harvey is now experiencing a ‘positional hiatus’. The words aren’t coming out right, Harvey’s mojo is fading and a celebrity host is eyeing his timeslot.
Back in Shorton, Harvey’s father Lionel appears at long last to be dying. It seems it’s finally time for Harvey Beam to head home and face a different kind of music.
In wading through a past that seems disturbingly unchanged, the last thing he expects is a chance encounter with a wonderful stranger …
But after forging a big-city career in talkback radio, Harvey is now experiencing a ‘positional hiatus’. The words aren’t coming out right, Harvey’s mojo is fading and a celebrity host is eyeing his timeslot.
Back in Shorton, Harvey’s father Lionel appears at long last to be dying. It seems it’s finally time for Harvey Beam to head home and face a different kind of music.
In wading through a past that seems disturbingly unchanged, the last thing he expects is a chance encounter with a wonderful stranger …
228 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2018
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Cox
4 books13 followersCarrie Cox is a journalist, author, tutor, mother and timid surfer, never all at once and not in that order. She grew up in Mackay, Queensland, and has also lived in Sydney, Brisbane and, since 2010, Perth. Carrie penned a weekly satirical column, ‘Carrie On’, that was syndicated to six newspapers over ten years until she ran out of things to say. She has also authored two non-fiction books, Coal, Crisis, Challenge and You Take the High Road and I’ll Take the Bus. Afternoons with Harvey Beam is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 14, 2018
"He will say that family isn't everything. It is one thing. And maybe it works, and maybe it doesn't. Maybe parts of it work. Maybe it's just people thrown together and there's no alchemy to it at all. DNA might mean everything and nothing."
Harvey Beam made his mark as a talkback radio host in Sydney. Having left his hometown of Shorton in his youth, he built his life in the big city. When his father, Lionel Beam, is dying his family calls him to come back to Shorton to say goodbye. Hesitant, Harvey returns to a town that has as many good memories f0r him as it does bad. As Harvey attempts to find his place anew in the family, he must face the problems he thought he had outrun.
Having come upon this book by chance, the premise intrigued me (as did the cover). Harvey Beam is a talkback radio host in Sydney. For many years he enjoyed great success in radio but now he is at risk of losing his spot, his job and one of his greatest joys. Add to that, he has been called home to Shorton to see his father before he dies. Harvey left Shorton a long time ago and never looked back. He got married, had two daughters, got divorced and struggles to be a good father still. This trip back home stirs up troubling memories for Harvey. This book acurately depicts how complicated family relationships can be. As the narrative unravels, it becomes clear why Harvey has a strained relationship with his father and also why he left. Harvey's past experiences invariably shaped him in the man that he is now, for better or worse. The cast of characters is realistic, some more likeable than others, and paints the struggles of being able (or unable) to come together as a family. Carrie Cox provides a heartfelt, thought-provocking, humorous and realistic narrative. I was definiely rooting for Harvey and I am gald to have come across this book.
Harvey Beam made his mark as a talkback radio host in Sydney. Having left his hometown of Shorton in his youth, he built his life in the big city. When his father, Lionel Beam, is dying his family calls him to come back to Shorton to say goodbye. Hesitant, Harvey returns to a town that has as many good memories f0r him as it does bad. As Harvey attempts to find his place anew in the family, he must face the problems he thought he had outrun.
Having come upon this book by chance, the premise intrigued me (as did the cover). Harvey Beam is a talkback radio host in Sydney. For many years he enjoyed great success in radio but now he is at risk of losing his spot, his job and one of his greatest joys. Add to that, he has been called home to Shorton to see his father before he dies. Harvey left Shorton a long time ago and never looked back. He got married, had two daughters, got divorced and struggles to be a good father still. This trip back home stirs up troubling memories for Harvey. This book acurately depicts how complicated family relationships can be. As the narrative unravels, it becomes clear why Harvey has a strained relationship with his father and also why he left. Harvey's past experiences invariably shaped him in the man that he is now, for better or worse. The cast of characters is realistic, some more likeable than others, and paints the struggles of being able (or unable) to come together as a family. Carrie Cox provides a heartfelt, thought-provocking, humorous and realistic narrative. I was definiely rooting for Harvey and I am gald to have come across this book.
June 9, 2018
“And this, he thinks to himself and not for the first time, this is what is good about alcohol. Its rare amplification of aggression notwithstanding, its preference for addiction and the steady erosion of vital organs aside, alcohol can at least make the sheer gnawing inexplicability of life seem very funny indeed.”
Afternoons With Harvey Beam is the first novel by Australian journalist, author, tutor, mother and timid surfer, Carrie Cox. Talk-back radio host Harvey Beam is on a plane from Sydney to his hometown, Shorton. Work hasn’t been going well and Trudi at HR is pushing him to accept “the offer” and make way for the rival he despises, John Jackson. Harvey doesn’t have much time for many of the contemporary talk-back hosts, who see themselves, instead of the listeners and callers, as the ‘talent’.
Basically, Harvey is pretty cynical “He had long hoped HR managers would go the way of quality assurance consultants and organisational change facilitators and other such experimental workplace creations fired in the kiln of corporate wankery. But like its equally unproductive cousin, IT support, HR doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Its ‘people people’ keep employing each other. Always the last left standing.”
But he’s on the way to Shorton, after leaving twenty years previous, because his father is dying: a father he doesn’t love or even like, a father he left town to escape. And returning of course means interacting with his family: a brother who doesn’t speak to him and sisters who seem to be at war with each other; and a town that seems less than impressed with this big city radio star.
The only respite from it all is the woman he met on the plane: a fly-in-fly-out nurse who seem willing to spend her free time in his company. Oh, and the casual spots he’s been convinced to do on Shorton’s local radio which was, back then, his first paying job, and a nose-thumb at his academic father.
The reason for his estrangement and his apparent failure as a husband and father becomes more evident as the events of Harvey’s past are gradually revealed. While the narrative does jump around in time quite a bit, dipping into Harvey’s immediate past as well as his childhood and adolescence, from the context it is easily clear to which time these chapters refer. And if the start feels perhaps a little slow, then the reader’s patience is amply rewarded as the story picks up pace and all the earlier tidbits of fact fall into place.
Some of Cox’s characters surprise and delight; others disappoint. On air, Harvey has a way with words that seems to fail him en famille, when he excels at cringe-worthy foot-in-mouth utterances. Cox gives many of her characters wise words about a myriad of subjects: parenting, forgiveness, and whether it’s really possible to go back home. “Expectations can feel like unfair demands to someone who just can’t deliver.”
Harvey muses “It should be easier to be a father when you do actually love your kids, but it’s not. Affection is a difficult thing to start with confidence in your twenties” and, about his indifference to his father thinks “Surely the anger and the love and the disappointment and the joy and the terror that spins at the core of a family can be summoned at any age; wrest us back into our bodies, awaken old bones.”
Cox has some marvellous turns of phrase: Harvey refers to his sisters’ “bristly circling game that is their discomfort zone”; to family as “This quagmire of owed apologies and frayed endings and stupefying bullshit.” Later, he realises “The idea no longer sat in the dark part of his brain that couldn’t make a decision.”
Some readers may find the use of expletives unnecessary but they are a natural fit for the characters who use them. Cox manages to have the readers eyes welling up with tears, gasping in amazement and laughing out loud all on the same page. Quite hilarious are Harvey’s account of his failed blind date, the siblings’ selection process of songs for the funeral, and parts of the son-in-law’s impromptu speech at the funeral.
Cox gives the reader a believable cast, natural dialogue and a plot with a great twist towards the end; there’s a sweet irony in where Harvey ends up. Funny, sad and ultimately very moving, this is a brilliant debut novel and readers will be impatient to see what Cox does next.
Afternoons With Harvey Beam is the first novel by Australian journalist, author, tutor, mother and timid surfer, Carrie Cox. Talk-back radio host Harvey Beam is on a plane from Sydney to his hometown, Shorton. Work hasn’t been going well and Trudi at HR is pushing him to accept “the offer” and make way for the rival he despises, John Jackson. Harvey doesn’t have much time for many of the contemporary talk-back hosts, who see themselves, instead of the listeners and callers, as the ‘talent’.
Basically, Harvey is pretty cynical “He had long hoped HR managers would go the way of quality assurance consultants and organisational change facilitators and other such experimental workplace creations fired in the kiln of corporate wankery. But like its equally unproductive cousin, IT support, HR doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Its ‘people people’ keep employing each other. Always the last left standing.”
But he’s on the way to Shorton, after leaving twenty years previous, because his father is dying: a father he doesn’t love or even like, a father he left town to escape. And returning of course means interacting with his family: a brother who doesn’t speak to him and sisters who seem to be at war with each other; and a town that seems less than impressed with this big city radio star.
The only respite from it all is the woman he met on the plane: a fly-in-fly-out nurse who seem willing to spend her free time in his company. Oh, and the casual spots he’s been convinced to do on Shorton’s local radio which was, back then, his first paying job, and a nose-thumb at his academic father.
The reason for his estrangement and his apparent failure as a husband and father becomes more evident as the events of Harvey’s past are gradually revealed. While the narrative does jump around in time quite a bit, dipping into Harvey’s immediate past as well as his childhood and adolescence, from the context it is easily clear to which time these chapters refer. And if the start feels perhaps a little slow, then the reader’s patience is amply rewarded as the story picks up pace and all the earlier tidbits of fact fall into place.
Some of Cox’s characters surprise and delight; others disappoint. On air, Harvey has a way with words that seems to fail him en famille, when he excels at cringe-worthy foot-in-mouth utterances. Cox gives many of her characters wise words about a myriad of subjects: parenting, forgiveness, and whether it’s really possible to go back home. “Expectations can feel like unfair demands to someone who just can’t deliver.”
Harvey muses “It should be easier to be a father when you do actually love your kids, but it’s not. Affection is a difficult thing to start with confidence in your twenties” and, about his indifference to his father thinks “Surely the anger and the love and the disappointment and the joy and the terror that spins at the core of a family can be summoned at any age; wrest us back into our bodies, awaken old bones.”
Cox has some marvellous turns of phrase: Harvey refers to his sisters’ “bristly circling game that is their discomfort zone”; to family as “This quagmire of owed apologies and frayed endings and stupefying bullshit.” Later, he realises “The idea no longer sat in the dark part of his brain that couldn’t make a decision.”
Some readers may find the use of expletives unnecessary but they are a natural fit for the characters who use them. Cox manages to have the readers eyes welling up with tears, gasping in amazement and laughing out loud all on the same page. Quite hilarious are Harvey’s account of his failed blind date, the siblings’ selection process of songs for the funeral, and parts of the son-in-law’s impromptu speech at the funeral.
Cox gives the reader a believable cast, natural dialogue and a plot with a great twist towards the end; there’s a sweet irony in where Harvey ends up. Funny, sad and ultimately very moving, this is a brilliant debut novel and readers will be impatient to see what Cox does next.
July 11, 2018
A short , enjoyable , realistic, family. Came across it by accident on my EBOOK platform, thanks to GR readers feedback, took a chance and am so glad I did.
Anybody got any ideas of where the FNQ big town, is modeled on? Early Cairns?
Good to clear the reading palette after the superb :" A Gentleman in Moscow".
Anybody got any ideas of where the FNQ big town, is modeled on? Early Cairns?
Good to clear the reading palette after the superb :" A Gentleman in Moscow".
August 3, 2018
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Enjoyed every word. Quintessentially Australian characters. Everyone knows families like this, dysfunctional but still family.
Read
August 12, 2018I don't want to mess up the ratings by giving less stars than this book deserves as I DNF. I liked the conversational tone of the story telling and quintessential Australian-ness of the book. I would have liked to see Harvey get out of his slump and reengaging with the important people in his life, but the story was too close to home for me with a parallel story of a parent dying of cancer.
November 5, 2018
On a trip away to Mangoland I spent a few most pleasant late afternoons with Harvey Beam, resting up from forays to the scenic temptations of the Tweed and Byron Shires. He was terrific company, even if he had come down in the world.
I discovered that, since gaining a foothold in big city radio, he had progressed to being the king-pin of the breakfast slot. Even then it was much to his father’s disgust. He was earmarked for far, far better than that tawdry profession. All this Harvey confided to me those sunny afternoons.
Nothing lasts forever for any of us – not prime time nor life. Eventually Harvey’s ratings decline and he’s shunted to the sleepy afternoon slot, a new sycophantic, fawning and golden-tonsilled brekkie host is unearthed with old Harv starting to feel he’s on a downward slippery slope. And then, to cap it all off, he’d recalled to Shorten, the country town of his upbringing. Here his disapproving old man is gravely ill. On arriving his dad doesn’t want to know him and his brother’s being an arse. His two sisters, to add more to his woes, are cat fighting like there’s no tomorrow. Back home his daughter decides this is the time to have a major crisis and Harvey confides it’s all getting a bit too much.
It sounds dire, but there’s an up-side. He can take a breather and re-calibrate, he tells me. En route he had also met Grace and that may amount to something too. And then, guess what? The local radio boss offers him a time-slot. Could this be a blessing in disguise?
Is Carrie Cox the new Nick Earls? Her style of writing reminded me of the Sunshine State’s scribe at his best. Needless to say, then, I revelled in ‘Afternoons with Harvey Beam’. Earls has been around for quite a while now, but Cox is only starting out. The Perth wordsmith has several other publications under her belt, but this is her first novel. Stick at it young lady. You’ve all the attributes.
One afternoon I was about to doze off when Beam confided to me that his nick-name within the family was Pencil. It took a while for the penny to drop. Harvey Beam. HB. Get it? Clever one that.
I discovered that, since gaining a foothold in big city radio, he had progressed to being the king-pin of the breakfast slot. Even then it was much to his father’s disgust. He was earmarked for far, far better than that tawdry profession. All this Harvey confided to me those sunny afternoons.
Nothing lasts forever for any of us – not prime time nor life. Eventually Harvey’s ratings decline and he’s shunted to the sleepy afternoon slot, a new sycophantic, fawning and golden-tonsilled brekkie host is unearthed with old Harv starting to feel he’s on a downward slippery slope. And then, to cap it all off, he’d recalled to Shorten, the country town of his upbringing. Here his disapproving old man is gravely ill. On arriving his dad doesn’t want to know him and his brother’s being an arse. His two sisters, to add more to his woes, are cat fighting like there’s no tomorrow. Back home his daughter decides this is the time to have a major crisis and Harvey confides it’s all getting a bit too much.
It sounds dire, but there’s an up-side. He can take a breather and re-calibrate, he tells me. En route he had also met Grace and that may amount to something too. And then, guess what? The local radio boss offers him a time-slot. Could this be a blessing in disguise?
Is Carrie Cox the new Nick Earls? Her style of writing reminded me of the Sunshine State’s scribe at his best. Needless to say, then, I revelled in ‘Afternoons with Harvey Beam’. Earls has been around for quite a while now, but Cox is only starting out. The Perth wordsmith has several other publications under her belt, but this is her first novel. Stick at it young lady. You’ve all the attributes.
One afternoon I was about to doze off when Beam confided to me that his nick-name within the family was Pencil. It took a while for the penny to drop. Harvey Beam. HB. Get it? Clever one that.
April 14, 2019
This book was a little gem. A random pick up at my library local, I knew nothing about it other than, after a quick barcode scan, its high rating on Goodreads. It was a pleasant surprise to find it was an Australian book. It was written in such a natural style that it was a pleasure to read. The characters were extremely relatable and believable, the dialogue was funny and natural. All in all, this was a great find.
December 12, 2018
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book, especially as it brought up lots of father/child issues from my own life. Slight quibble - the 'on air' sections could be dated as it is sometimes confusing as to which part of Harvey's life it applies to. The family dynamics are spot on!
June 17, 2018
We all listen to talk back radio and form a relationship with the host, love them or hate them, and Afternoons with Harvey Beam is a book which takes the reader into the life of a talk back host, his problems, his loves and his family.
Harvey Beam left his small home town of Shorton to work in talkback radio in Sydney but after many years his popularity is waning and he is facing redundancy.
When the head of HR says, “What I see is a man no longer making connections, a man who is not happy in himself, a man who is not playing nicely with the other kids, and all of that equals bad radio,” Harvey believes his biggest mistake is “not sleeping with the head of HR”.
Being called back to Shorton because his father is dying gives Harvey time to think and reflect on his life and where he is going in the future.
Beam’s entire family still live in Shorton and the reader is introduced to his mother, brother, and two sisters as well as his father Lionel .He still has a good relationship with his ex wife and his daughters as well as his mother but finds his sisters behaviour challenging and his brother Bryan is not at all welcoming. But it is his father’s hostility which is at the heart of the book and the reader is never fully informed what has caused the dysfunction between the male members of the Beam family. As Harvey takes time to reflect we learn about his divorce as well as his parents split, but a talkback session reminds him “it all starts and ends with family.”
I enjoyed this book it was well written with pockets of humour and the author is able to write with great clarity to reveal the strength and emotions flowing amongst the characters. There is hope for the future as new relationships develop and family ties are strengthened but I was disappointed more was not revealed about what had caused the hostility between Harvey and Lionel.
An interesting Australian family drama, the book will appeal to a wide age group both male and female.
Carrie Cox is a journalist , author, tutor and mother who lives in Perth Australia This is her first novel but she has written two non fiction books, Coal ,Crisis, Challenge and You Take the Road and I’ll Take the Bus .
Harvey Beam left his small home town of Shorton to work in talkback radio in Sydney but after many years his popularity is waning and he is facing redundancy.
When the head of HR says, “What I see is a man no longer making connections, a man who is not happy in himself, a man who is not playing nicely with the other kids, and all of that equals bad radio,” Harvey believes his biggest mistake is “not sleeping with the head of HR”.
Being called back to Shorton because his father is dying gives Harvey time to think and reflect on his life and where he is going in the future.
Beam’s entire family still live in Shorton and the reader is introduced to his mother, brother, and two sisters as well as his father Lionel .He still has a good relationship with his ex wife and his daughters as well as his mother but finds his sisters behaviour challenging and his brother Bryan is not at all welcoming. But it is his father’s hostility which is at the heart of the book and the reader is never fully informed what has caused the dysfunction between the male members of the Beam family. As Harvey takes time to reflect we learn about his divorce as well as his parents split, but a talkback session reminds him “it all starts and ends with family.”
I enjoyed this book it was well written with pockets of humour and the author is able to write with great clarity to reveal the strength and emotions flowing amongst the characters. There is hope for the future as new relationships develop and family ties are strengthened but I was disappointed more was not revealed about what had caused the hostility between Harvey and Lionel.
An interesting Australian family drama, the book will appeal to a wide age group both male and female.
Carrie Cox is a journalist , author, tutor and mother who lives in Perth Australia This is her first novel but she has written two non fiction books, Coal ,Crisis, Challenge and You Take the Road and I’ll Take the Bus .
May 15, 2018
A fabulous read!
This book jumped in at the deep end and had me hooked from the first page...it slowly simmered and painted a powerful picture of human nature, families and country town life - can't wait for more from Carrie Cox!
This book jumped in at the deep end and had me hooked from the first page...it slowly simmered and painted a powerful picture of human nature, families and country town life - can't wait for more from Carrie Cox!
January 18, 2022
This was a really good read. I like how it revolved around family - the good and bad parts, but mostly the unspoken good parts. :)
January 2, 2019
I don't give out 5 stars very often, so I was pleased to start my 2019 reading on a high. This is a terrific Australian book about a middle-aged Sydney radio talk star who returns to his home town for the death of his father, with whom he had a difficult relationship. All of his family still live in this town and they make a marvellous cast of characters for the book. Each character is created so effectively to tell what could be passed off as a family soap opera, with the key message being that no family is perfect. There is dysfunction of varying degrees in every family, but not matter how good or bad, it is still a family - and that matters most. The main character confronts his family dysfunction alongside some challenging memories of his dying father.
Heartwarming is too much of a cliché, but it's the best way to describe this complex, engaging and very satisfying story.
I will look forward to reading more books by this author.
Heartwarming is too much of a cliché, but it's the best way to describe this complex, engaging and very satisfying story.
I will look forward to reading more books by this author.
September 14, 2024
Loved this brilliantly written story.
Carrie Cox brilliantly immerses us into the world of Harvey Beam, a middle aged, divorced, father of two, who returns to his home town at the time of his father’s imminent death. This touching story filled with humor, sadness, joy and pain, is the story of every family. Through Harvey’s eyes, we meet the beautifully written characters that surround him, as we share his journey of figuring out his life’s purpose, discovering some hidden gems along the way that surprise even him. This reader found herself laughing, crying, and reaching the end of the book with the profound melancholy that comes with having to say “goodbye”. Grab “Afternoons with Harvey Beam” and treat yourself to this author’s amazing talent.
Carrie Cox brilliantly immerses us into the world of Harvey Beam, a middle aged, divorced, father of two, who returns to his home town at the time of his father’s imminent death. This touching story filled with humor, sadness, joy and pain, is the story of every family. Through Harvey’s eyes, we meet the beautifully written characters that surround him, as we share his journey of figuring out his life’s purpose, discovering some hidden gems along the way that surprise even him. This reader found herself laughing, crying, and reaching the end of the book with the profound melancholy that comes with having to say “goodbye”. Grab “Afternoons with Harvey Beam” and treat yourself to this author’s amazing talent.
June 4, 2019
When I started this book I wasn't sure if it would hold my attention, but I soon got into it and I loved it. It is essentially a middle-aged man's self discovery journey but it is full of wit and wisdom, written with a deft, light touch, yet a lot of depth. Some good satire on the world of radio, of which the author has obviously been a part.
February 9, 2020
Excellent novel telling the story of a radio talkback host who returns to his home town to visit his dying father. I wondered for a while why a couple of my friends had rated this so highly, but became engrossed and enraged at times at some of the outcomes. Highly recommended. This one packs a punch but also has real heart.
February 11, 2020
I really enjoyed this modern day book. It was a really easy read and well written. I found similarities with Harvey's work life getting kicked out and having to feel rejection. His father was hideous and I was annoyed that he didn't get his just deserts. I also liked the ending it wasn't too predictable at all !
August 11, 2021
Interesting read about families and where you might fit in. Not a lot of “guts” in the book but a pleasant read. The plot twist (if you can call it that), I thought was totally unnecessary. Book club choice, don’t think there will be a lot of discussion
October 9, 2018
3.5 stars.
September 6, 2022
Witty entertaining refreshing look at life in smallsville with a dysfunctional family. The dad is so nasty! Perceptive writing yet easy to read.
September 12, 2022
3.5 stars
August 24, 2023
I enjoyed this little trip down memory lane - Dad / Son relationship unsettling !
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews