The Last Free Man and Other Stories

by Lewis Woolston

A collection of short stories based on the author's experiences living and working in remote roadhouses on the Nullarbor Plain and in the Northern Territory of Australia. The lives of drifters, misfits, lost souls and dropkicks are told with humour, compassion and pathos.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

172 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2019

About the author

Lewis Woolston grew up in small towns in country Western Australia. He left for the city as soon as he could to seek fame and fortune. He found neither but had some experiences. He misspent his youth in Perth and Adelaide, did a short and miserable stint in the Australian Army before living in the NT for a few years and working in some very remote places.
His first book The Last Free Man and Other Stories was published by Truth Serum Press in 2019 and was shortlisted for the 2020 Chief Minister's NT Book Awards.
His second book Remembering the Dead and Other Stories was published by Truth Serum Press in January 2022.
He Currently Lives in Port Lincoln, South Australia, with his Wife and Daughter.

Reviews

[zed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Lewis Woolston’s 2nd book of short stories over the recent Christmas break. It was an appropriate read for the time of year as Australia lived through the trials of nature doing what nature wanted to do in terms of putting us in our place. The tales mostly took place in a place where nature ruled supreme. The same applies to this anthology

The Australia Day long weekend seemed another appropriate time to get stuck into Lewis’ debut. Not long after the Christmas deluge in north Qld had ended, they copped it again. A cyclone and the aftermath of that, flooding, hit Townsville and the north. The Australia Day Wet Weekend. A perfect time to read about more of the eternal outback and the drifters that head there.

The Last Free Man and other stories had one tale of the wet, and that wet was a rarity for the place it happened. These are the stories of the parched and arid land on the road between Perth and Adelaide, a stretch of approximately 2,700 kilometres and 30 odd hours by car. Once past the main areas of population, it is all isolation. The aridity applies for the road between Adelaide and Darwin, 3,000 kilometres and another 30 odd hours by road. There are a few tales from the Alice, near to the drop-kick town that is Darwin as opposed to Adelaide the city of churches, a place of boredom for some.

These are the yarns about the escapees from the mainstream, those that try but can't be part of what the majority want Australian society to be. To those escaping, the mainstream is a place of confinement. Just ask the last free man, just ask Grandpa Bob, just ask the dead bloke with a needle in his arm in the middle of nowhere, they know there is freedom out there.
After reading both Lewis’ books there is a feeling that they are aimed at those that are a bit blokeish, the restrained in talk kind, those that are over their youth, a youth that may not have offered that much. Many may think that the vast majority of Australia is full of bush types, the reality is that it is urban, demonstrably so, and these tales kick against that.
Lewis restrained writing style is perfect for the backdrop of each story. The tales are, in my opinion, going to be preferred by 40 plus males. Those that understand the need for their peer groups to have isolation. This is time and place reading.

The Triffids soundtrack for my read.

Well, the drums rolled off in my forehead
And the guns went off in my chest
Remember carrying the baby just for you
Crying in the wilderness
I lost track of my friends, I lost my kin
I cut them off as limbs
I drove out over the flatland
Hunting down you and him
The sky was big and empty
My chest filled to explode
I yelled my insides out at the sun
At the wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
So, how do you think it feels
Sleeping by yourself?
When the one you love, the one you love
Is with someone else
Then it's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
And now you can go to any place
That you want to go
I wake up in the morning
Thinking I'm still by your side
I reach out just to touch you
Then I realize
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
So, how do you think it feels
When sleeping by yourself?
When the one you love, the one you love
Is with someone else
I wake up in the morning
Thinking I'm still by your side (it's a wide open road)
I reach out just to touch you (it's a wide open road )
(Then I realize) it's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
And now you can go to any place
That you want to go

[Suz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not the target audience for this, but it was interesting for something different considering I have not traveled and this takes you to many places. I thank the author for sending me a hard copy to read and review. Irreverent, acerbic, smacking of larrikinism, and generally a bit cheeky and brash (I'm still not able to put my finger on the precise adjective), there are a lot of little stories smattered throughout. I liked reading about the old bloke in the bush and his take on changing his mind after the war on taking a bride and settling in the burbs. Some political incorrectness, but I think this was just the point. "Rents in the city are retarted". References to Chinese students etc. This wasn't meant to be fluffy and kudos to the author for speaking his truth!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! It isn't often a book transports me without being fantastical. Wonderful plots, scenery I can see in my mind, characters I wish I had met. And although the stories are rooted in reality, they have a dreamlike quality that awakens the imagination.

[Laurie Steed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Free Man and other stories introduces us to a variety of transients, travellers and roadhouse workers in its 160 or so pages. While the characters in these stories at times venture back to the city, it's in the outback where they find freedom, sex, and occasional companionship. There are rarely happy endings in these stories; there is, however, a lot of heart, fair doses of brutal honesty, and the remnants of dreams of a better life, or, at times, just the hopes of survival, away from threats, trauma, and dysfunctional families.

If there's a man better made to explore roadhouse life than Lewis Woolston then I have yet to meet him. His stories are suitably laconic given the landscape, and he's more willing than most to tackle uncomfortable truths, particularly for his protagonists. His characters are not so much types as the ephemera of Australia: the lost, lonely and resilient making a go of things away from the famous, the flashy, or the entitled.

I enjoyed this book and found its lack of pretence particularly refreshing. It deserves, in time, to be shelved alongside many of the more understated, underrated but undeniably influential takes on modern life in regional Australia.

[Mads (book.wirm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First thing’s first: Woolston has an uncanny talent for storytelling. Every single one of these tales is so decadent, enriched with gorgeous imagery and the atmosphere of the Australian outback. It’s funny, in a dry sense that echoes the barren, dusty setting of the bush. The hardiness of the characters, including the narrator, serves to further this feeling of being free.

‘The Last Free Man’ perfectly encapsulates the feeling of freedom that comes from being alone in the bush. Each individual story is told so spectacularly that the reader is left wanting more. Woolston’s tone is singular in its guffness, reminiscent of a hardened “bushy” who spins tales of intrigue and valour that can’t help but be listened to.

Personally, I loved this, and I know that so many Australians will also find a place in their hearts for these modern classics. I felt so much nostalgia while reading because these stories reflect—both tonally and thematically—the fables my Aunt regales me with about her childhood and growing up in the bush. I always wished I could have been there, and this was no different. I can’t wait to see what Woolston writes next.

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was shortlisted for the 2020 Chief Minister's NT Book Awards.

[Sharah McConville · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Free Man and Other Stories is an interesting collection of short stories by Lewis Woolston. Set in the Outback, mainly along the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia, South Australia, and Northern Territory, the stories tell of hardship, adventure, misadventure, and dips into the lives of some unique characters. Thanks to the author for my paperback copy of his book.

[gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Free Man and Other Stories is sharp, personal short fiction borne of the Australian Outback. It is a study of the people who drift across that hostile and remote landscape and of their motivations, internal and external, for doing so.

Woolston is an emerging author with a talent for characterization. His vignettes range from superb (“Driftwood,” “The Failure”) to flat (“A Little Flat in Dover Court,” “The Family Farm”) but throughout each are genuine, tangible, fleshy people. Woolston’s prose is modern and accessible, unindulgent if at times self-conscious. Commas are rare.

You could call The Last Free Man “Australiana.” No victim of internationalized rootlessness, it leans into its setting and its cultural background unapologetically. This gives his stories a distinctive appeal: losers are universal but the Outback as an escape valve for a sick society is unique. Woolston explores this element adeptly and describes his position as a keen chronicler of woes in “The Failure”:

I took a few moments to try and digest what he’d told me. It was one of the best tales of woe I’ve ever heard and I’ve heard plenty in my time out bush so I consider myself an expert on tales of woe. There are always people coming out here who’ve done their dash and made a mess of their lives. That’s the thing about the Nullarbor; when you’ve made a dog’s breakfast of your life the highway will still take you. (pg. 66)

There’s an occasional raw immaturity that, while not altogether unexpected, shouldn’t go unmentioned. The first two stories (“The Last Free Man” and “The Last Madura Brumby”) provide a representative example. They share the same title format, central metaphor, and tone-setting adjectives like “laconic” and “free.” A strict but benevolent editor would have pushed to unify the two and the result would have been stronger than either one.

Down-and-out, local, and thoroughly human, this collection is perhaps a pastiche of The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake , Down Under. While far less polished, Woolston’s best stories echo Pancake’s in theme and execution, and many succeed just as the late West Virginian’s succeed. That Woolston is still writing gives cause for hope and I am excited to continue reading as he continues publishing.



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Read this and other reviews on Perikrone

[P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freedom and obligation. Poison and sobriety. Country and city. Birth and death. Always broke. These are the things we see out bush in Woolston's stories. The author has such a touch to detail and authenticity to his voice that he will make you see Australia even if you didn't know anything about it. The stories are emotionally challenging and at time hilarious due to the obstinate bluntness of the characters. I can tell from other reviews that the voice offends modern sensibilities but who wants a white-washed Australian? The best of friends say the worst of things to each other in good humor, even from tactful cultures like my own.

At first you may think there's not much variety in perspective but you will see many lives play out. Some perspectives agree and some do not. Four stories you cannot miss from this: the Last Free Man, Driftwood, Tracey's Lament, and the Exile. Seeing these four alone shows Woolston's maturity in that he's not preaching to you about anything. He is showing you the lives of Australians who feel the draw of the countryside and how that affected their lives. Perhaps some may sour at the lack of perspective of dainty city folk, the upper-class and the rest but that could be stories for another time. The stories speak for themselves and the while author does pepper a few aphorisms he restrains himself. The real reflection you get is through the course of the story.

The book is edited well and the only two issues I found were so minor that I almost thought it was intentional, but no matter. I tell people if they can read anything to read at least one short story everyday but I read all of this in three mornings with "a cuppa". If you've got this on your to-read list, kindly bump up the priority.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was something different for me as I haven't read a collection of short stories in quite some time. My mum got her hands on this book before I did and she loved it, loved the stories and the fact that she could relate to some of the stories and people as we have lived in the outback in the past.

I myself enjoyed reading the stories and it did bring back memories of life in places like Woomera and Alice Springs and the places beyond that I have seen and visited. The people are so real and yes there are so many people like the ones in these stories out there living a simple life and loving it.

Good stories, good characters, some humour, some sadness, some real-life situations. A good, easy book to read and my only real negative was that it did get a bit repetitive with so many similarities in many of the stories. A 3 1/2 from me!

Thank you Lewis Woolston
The Last Free Man and Other Stories

[Lewis Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I prefer harsh truth to pleasant bullshit so there you have it" could summarise many of the stories contained within Lewis Woolston's "The Last Free Man and Other Stories", which peels back Australiana to expose the good and the bad. Woolston writes starkly beautiful prose, and gives depth to an area of Australia that is often overlooked in fiction. Rather than romanticising the Outback, they paint it as it truly is, and do so with vivid prose. The way Woolston transports you to the scenes painted is breathtaking, and it makes you itch to go join in the lifestyles he portrays, even despite the pros and cons. This book is perfect for those interested in emerging Australia voices, Australian bush fiction, or Australian fiction in general (the kind that doesn't take place in Sydney or Melbourne!).

[Thomas Greenbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Australian, I love to read books and stories set in Australia. I don't limit myself to Aussie reads, but there's something special about a story set in a place that I actually know. In the case of The Last Free Man and Other Stories, this applies many times over.

Lewis Woolston's style of writing has a definite raconteur feel to it. It's as if we're sitting by a campfire somewhere out back and he's just telling a tale that popped into his mind.

Many of the stories are told in first-person point of view, giving them an authentic feel. As a reader, I was left wondering just how much of each story was fact, and how much was fiction.

Woolston's characters leap from the page with a life of their own. His descriptions and dialogue ring true in almost every case. If you wish to get a feel for what epitomises a true Aussie then this book is for you.

The downside? Sensitive readers who shy away from strong language should be warned: he's not afraid to drop the occasional F- and C-bomb, especially in dialogue. To over-censor, however, would have spoiled the realism.

Some stories will make you laugh; some will leave you feeling sad—maybe even depressed. All will (or should) make you think. There are tales of battlers, losers, heroes, and villains. True Aussies, each and every one.

Do I recommend this anthology? You bet.

[WhitePillMedia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all of the Australian terminology and having stories in the Outback with these roadhouses. Most are about the protagonist working in a roadhouse and the people he meets and drifting from this rural life to a city one and going back and forth. Not making much of an impact wherever they wind up by they keep going on. I loved A pistol and a French girl and Rain on the Highway. Author did a great job of making those characters come to life.

[Ogden Nesmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

the stories in this book are simultaneously authentically Australian, and universal in their reach. I may not have known what a Brumby was at the outset, but soon after its introduction, I was rooting for it. This is a great read for anyone who likes thoughtful stories about simple lives.

[edmondegreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book.

[AB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a punch to the gut. Some of these stories hit so close to home that it's not even funny. One of the best books Ive read in a while

[Dyan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely awful. The writing is mediocre at best, and the content is pretentious and hypocritical. The author is clearly a wanker who gets off on his own sense of superiority. Okay, mate. You do you.

[Natalie Ritson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good collection of stories that will keep you engrossed in the entertaining characters of the outback, and give some insight into the simple life they all live and treasure.

[Linsey Berryman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting short stories about people living and working in the bush. Sad at times, funny at times. I quite enjoyed this collection of stories.

[John David Card · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can you ask for in contemporary fiction.
It's good, chief.

[Zulu Alitspa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you come into this hoping for some hardcore ozploitation in the vein of Razorback or Wake In Fright, you're going to be disappointed.

That being said, the stories in this collection do periodically provide glimpses into the insanity of life in the most far-flung corner of Western Civilization, it's just that the author doesn't really seem to understand how bizarre it all is, and therefore breezes over certain scenes and details which could have provided texture for the reader's immersion. Apparently, to Lewis Woolston, hitting a camel with your truck and then wrestling with its neck so you can get a clean shot through its skull with your revolver is a mundane experience. Then again, the autobiographical stories in this collection paint a portrait of the author as a profoundly humble and modest person, so I suspect his more extreme adventures were deliberately left unshaded only because he didn't want to make a big fuss about himself.

The low points of this collection mostly come in the middle, where I got the impression that certain stories were included for filler. Some of the stories were more like terse collections of facts about people and places that the author has known at one point or the other, and far too many times Woolston recounts an experience where he *might* have done something interesting, but instead passed it up.

By the end of this collection, I had gained a picture of Lewis Woolston as a man of two worlds, unable to reconcile himself to either one. He obviously doesn't care for suburban life but at the same time he lacks the ability to throw himself into the complete self-abnegation which I imagine the Outback demands of those who would call it home. The titular Last Free Man would never have thought to write a story about himself.

[Helen Travers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It'd be great to see this book taught in high schools across Australia and overseas. Raw and true conundrums of life in the outback the like of which most of us will never experience.
The author, having little education raised in a dooms day cult-like religion, has pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. His writing style can be blunt, his opinions sometimes caustic. His life experiences and those of others are achingly exposed
I hope he writes another book of stories.

[Thingol · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's Australian.

[Liam Blackford · Rating 4 out of 5]

too many noisy cunts in the city. quitting it all and heading to the nullarbor with everything i own