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Zebra
A body buried in a suburban backyard. A suicide pact worthy of Chekhov. A love affair born in a bookshop. The last days of Bennelong. And a very strange gift for a most unusual Prime Minister... Tantalising, poignant, wry, and just a little fantastical, this subversive collection of short fiction - and one singular novella - from bestselling author Debra Adelaide reminds us what twists of fate may be lurking just beneath the surface of the everyday. PRAISE FOR DEBRA ADELAIDE 'Deliciously maverick...dazzlingly original' The Age 'Comic and ironic...while at the same time serious and deeply moving' Sydney Morning Herald
- GenresShort Stories
476 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
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84 people want to read
About the author
Debra Adelaide
30 books41 followersDebra Adelaide has worked as a researcher, editor, and book reviewer, and has a PhD from the University of Sydney. She is presently a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Technology, Sydney, where she lives with her husband and three children.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Ad...
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Ad...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 7, 2019
*https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Zebra and other stories is a compilation of thirteen short stories and a novella.
Adelaide’s writing is lyrical and perceptive, exploring human foibles in all its forms. She proves she can master any writing style; first person, second person and third person perspectives are all executed with perfection.
I’ve read a few anthologies and they have all had a linking element running through the stories. I couldn’t find that connection with Zebra. Some of the stories seemed like a chapter pulled from a bigger story.
In her short stories Adelaide explores love, loss and life. Some stories are humorous, some perceptive and others heart-breaking.
The title story, Zebra, is a novella featuring an unnamed female prime Minister. It is a fanciful tale of conflict solving and lost opportunities, with an ending that left me amused.
Zebra and other stories is an eclectic holiday read filled with beautiful writing however most of the stories left me wanting.
*I received a copy from the publisher
Zebra and other stories is a compilation of thirteen short stories and a novella.
Adelaide’s writing is lyrical and perceptive, exploring human foibles in all its forms. She proves she can master any writing style; first person, second person and third person perspectives are all executed with perfection.
I’ve read a few anthologies and they have all had a linking element running through the stories. I couldn’t find that connection with Zebra. Some of the stories seemed like a chapter pulled from a bigger story.
In her short stories Adelaide explores love, loss and life. Some stories are humorous, some perceptive and others heart-breaking.
The title story, Zebra, is a novella featuring an unnamed female prime Minister. It is a fanciful tale of conflict solving and lost opportunities, with an ending that left me amused.
Zebra and other stories is an eclectic holiday read filled with beautiful writing however most of the stories left me wanting.
*I received a copy from the publisher
December 19, 2019
Zebra is a collection of short stories and a novella by Australian author, Debra Adelaide. It’s a mixed bag: many of the stories are good, some are a little vague, one or two are outstanding. It probably won’t be apparent until the reader gets to the Third section (if it is, in fact, noticed at all) that the stories in the First section is written in the first person, the Second section in the second person (which may not be a favourite for some readers) and, predictably then, the Third section is written in the third person. Also, some of the stories omit quote marks for speech, which will irritate some readers.
“Festive Food for the Whole Family” will resonate with anyone who has had to cater for guests with allergies, particular tastes or sensitivities.
“Migraines for Beginners” presents great insight into the plight of the sufferer: “…and an hour after falling into your own bed you begin to feel that unique and distinct sensation that every migraine sufferer knows: that hard welcome empty space in your head that might be nothing at all but is the very palpable absence of pain.”
“The Master Shavers’ Association of Paradise” is a heart-breaking, moving piece from the perspective of an asylum-seeker in detention.
“Carry Your Heart” is a delightful encounter that begins in a bookshop.
But the title novella, “Zebra”, featuring a peony-loving PM, a nasty neighbour and a zebra? This one is truly excellent and the book is worth acquiring for that story alone. Exceptional Aussie fiction.
“Festive Food for the Whole Family” will resonate with anyone who has had to cater for guests with allergies, particular tastes or sensitivities.
“Migraines for Beginners” presents great insight into the plight of the sufferer: “…and an hour after falling into your own bed you begin to feel that unique and distinct sensation that every migraine sufferer knows: that hard welcome empty space in your head that might be nothing at all but is the very palpable absence of pain.”
“The Master Shavers’ Association of Paradise” is a heart-breaking, moving piece from the perspective of an asylum-seeker in detention.
“Carry Your Heart” is a delightful encounter that begins in a bookshop.
But the title novella, “Zebra”, featuring a peony-loving PM, a nasty neighbour and a zebra? This one is truly excellent and the book is worth acquiring for that story alone. Exceptional Aussie fiction.
June 2, 2019
2 1/2 I really enjoyed the first story ‘Dismembering’ for its dark humour and the clever way it tackled a familiar topic, marriage breakdown, but the other stories in this collection missed the mark for me. They felt mundane and less inventive.
October 19, 2020
The wonderful writing I remember from "The Household Guide to Dying" was repeated in "The Fine Day"---one of her short stories in this book. However, despite other stories starting well, they had really weird endings. Disappointing.
6.5/10
6.5/10
January 1, 2020
I enjoyed this collection of short stories, although the title novella was probably my favourite.
Zebra, the novella that gave the book it's title, is an interesting personal perspective of a prime minister and fits nicely with the idea that all politicians have a screw loose. Even if you live in the Lodge you can have a bad relationship with your neighbours. What I would really like to know is if she declared the zebra on the gift registry...
Of the short stories, I liked these ones best (in order of appearance):
* Festive Food for the Whole Family: a guide to preparing a modern Christmas lunch
* Migraine for Beginners: an instruction manual for migraine sufferers
* The Master Shavers' Association of Paradise: finding a sense of purpose in a detention camp
* Carry Your Heart: when you are open to spontaneous encounters
* Nourishment: chicken broth made lovingly
* Wipe Away Your Tears: an Anzac pilgrimage
Zebra, the novella that gave the book it's title, is an interesting personal perspective of a prime minister and fits nicely with the idea that all politicians have a screw loose. Even if you live in the Lodge you can have a bad relationship with your neighbours. What I would really like to know is if she declared the zebra on the gift registry...
Of the short stories, I liked these ones best (in order of appearance):
* Festive Food for the Whole Family: a guide to preparing a modern Christmas lunch
* Migraine for Beginners: an instruction manual for migraine sufferers
* The Master Shavers' Association of Paradise: finding a sense of purpose in a detention camp
* Carry Your Heart: when you are open to spontaneous encounters
* Nourishment: chicken broth made lovingly
* Wipe Away Your Tears: an Anzac pilgrimage
June 15, 2019
I love the quirkiness of Debra Adelaide. You never know what's coming next, and even though some of her surprises are not pleasant, they are so well done, you can't help enjoying them somehow!
March 1, 2019
This is a really, really difficult book to review. Most collections of short stories are – there’s no one narrative or plot structure or character to talk about. Instead there’s a number of them, some of which the reader will connect with more than others. And that’s definitely what happened with me here.
I don’t read a lot of short stories, I must admit that. In fact, they’d make up a very, very small percentage of my reading. Maybe one collection a year. They’re not something I automatically gravitate towards and mostly I’ve read them at the request of someone. My biggest problem with short stories is that I’m just starting to get into the story…..and then it’s over. They leave me feeling a bit unsatisfied. And sometimes, they leave me feeling a bit dumb. There’s always one or two where I get to the end and sort of…..don’t get it. Anyway.
There were a few honestly, very good short stories in this book, a few that were very interesting and the aforementioned few that didn’t resonate with me or I didn’t quite get where they were going. I think that my favourite story in the collection is the one that addresses a host at Christmas time, frantically trying to make dishes that everyone coming can eat. Allergies seem much more prevalent these days than when I was a child, people are gluten free, dairy intolerant, etc. The dishes escalate to the point where they’re no longer even made from what they’re supposed to be. It was incredibly creative and entertaining with an underlying seriousness to the family drama of Christmas Day, the exhaustion of being the perfect host and catering for absolutely everybody and also missing out on the day’s activities because there’s so much to do and no one is bothering to help. I’m not the cook of my family – my husband wears that hat – but thankfully we rarely have to cater to specific dietary and allergy needs. The most we have is two fussy kids who refuse to eat pretty much everything, which is frustrating enough.
Some other stories I enjoyed…..there’s one that deals with a woman trying to get some medical help for her debilitating migraines. I’ve had two migraines in my life, the most recent one was last year and I was lucky in that it only lasted about five hours but it’s some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced and it came with the added fun of feeling so absolutely nauseous that I couldn’t move. I can’t imagine what it must be like to experience them on the regular, for days at a time. My mother used to get fairly regular migraines and she’d be out of action for about a day. It can be pretty difficult to get medical professionals to take consistent and regular pain seriously at times, but headaches sound so generic and if the person you’re speaking to has never had a bad migraine, they don’t understand. They aren’t just like bad headaches. They’re completely resistant to most painkillers and they impair function to the point where honestly, being forcibly knocked out begins to sound like a viable option. I felt that character’s frustration and pain and anger and despair like it was honestly my own.
There’s also a really sweet one about love in a bookstore that was just such a lovely little piece as well. And there’s a suicide story as well that’s really interesting (it’s linked to Chekhov in the blurb but I’ve never read Chekhov, perhaps because he’s considered so influential in the modern day short story, something I’ve already readily admitted to not seeking out. Russian short stories seem like they’d be a form of torture!).
There’s a wide variety of stories in this book – something for everyone. You may not like every single one but there’ll be something to enjoy, or a thoughtful one to mull over or a story that is applicable to your own life. For me, there were equal ones I enjoyed to ones that weren’t really my sort of thing or stories I didn’t overly connect with but it was still an interesting reading experience.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
I don’t read a lot of short stories, I must admit that. In fact, they’d make up a very, very small percentage of my reading. Maybe one collection a year. They’re not something I automatically gravitate towards and mostly I’ve read them at the request of someone. My biggest problem with short stories is that I’m just starting to get into the story…..and then it’s over. They leave me feeling a bit unsatisfied. And sometimes, they leave me feeling a bit dumb. There’s always one or two where I get to the end and sort of…..don’t get it. Anyway.
There were a few honestly, very good short stories in this book, a few that were very interesting and the aforementioned few that didn’t resonate with me or I didn’t quite get where they were going. I think that my favourite story in the collection is the one that addresses a host at Christmas time, frantically trying to make dishes that everyone coming can eat. Allergies seem much more prevalent these days than when I was a child, people are gluten free, dairy intolerant, etc. The dishes escalate to the point where they’re no longer even made from what they’re supposed to be. It was incredibly creative and entertaining with an underlying seriousness to the family drama of Christmas Day, the exhaustion of being the perfect host and catering for absolutely everybody and also missing out on the day’s activities because there’s so much to do and no one is bothering to help. I’m not the cook of my family – my husband wears that hat – but thankfully we rarely have to cater to specific dietary and allergy needs. The most we have is two fussy kids who refuse to eat pretty much everything, which is frustrating enough.
Some other stories I enjoyed…..there’s one that deals with a woman trying to get some medical help for her debilitating migraines. I’ve had two migraines in my life, the most recent one was last year and I was lucky in that it only lasted about five hours but it’s some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced and it came with the added fun of feeling so absolutely nauseous that I couldn’t move. I can’t imagine what it must be like to experience them on the regular, for days at a time. My mother used to get fairly regular migraines and she’d be out of action for about a day. It can be pretty difficult to get medical professionals to take consistent and regular pain seriously at times, but headaches sound so generic and if the person you’re speaking to has never had a bad migraine, they don’t understand. They aren’t just like bad headaches. They’re completely resistant to most painkillers and they impair function to the point where honestly, being forcibly knocked out begins to sound like a viable option. I felt that character’s frustration and pain and anger and despair like it was honestly my own.
There’s also a really sweet one about love in a bookstore that was just such a lovely little piece as well. And there’s a suicide story as well that’s really interesting (it’s linked to Chekhov in the blurb but I’ve never read Chekhov, perhaps because he’s considered so influential in the modern day short story, something I’ve already readily admitted to not seeking out. Russian short stories seem like they’d be a form of torture!).
There’s a wide variety of stories in this book – something for everyone. You may not like every single one but there’ll be something to enjoy, or a thoughtful one to mull over or a story that is applicable to your own life. For me, there were equal ones I enjoyed to ones that weren’t really my sort of thing or stories I didn’t overly connect with but it was still an interesting reading experience.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
February 13, 2019
There are 13 short stories in this collection I skipped straight to the last story in this collection, because I'd rather read a novella than a short story any day...
'Zebra' is an odd confection. It's a whimsical tale of a female prime minister well into her middle years and with a name as ordinary as the dust on her shoes. She has been in power for several years, long enough to take as much pride in the garden at The Lodge as in her other achievements (which are a wishlist of reforms that have not happened in real Australian life).
Accused of not having a 'real' job by her irascible neighbour Kerr, this PM (oddly non-combative for a politician) muses to herself:
However, as the story opens the PM has a report to read in preparation for an overhaul of the national health budget. It rejoices in the title Key Strategic Objectives: Minimising Negative Patient Outcomes, but it fails to keep her attention and sitting so long to read it (literally) gives her a pain in the proverbial:
Her garden is the one project that really matters to her:
The truth is, she's not interested in the slog of governing and she would rather delegate the stuff that bores her to her ministers. What she wants is to generate ideas and indulge her well-hidden life of the mind, but she gets sucked into trivia which the media presents as evidence of fitness to govern:
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/02/13/z...
'Zebra' is an odd confection. It's a whimsical tale of a female prime minister well into her middle years and with a name as ordinary as the dust on her shoes. She has been in power for several years, long enough to take as much pride in the garden at The Lodge as in her other achievements (which are a wishlist of reforms that have not happened in real Australian life).
Accused of not having a 'real' job by her irascible neighbour Kerr, this PM (oddly non-combative for a politician) muses to herself:
He could not boast about making company tax more equitable, about simplifying the paperwork for small business, about establishing a non-profit national telecommunications provider. He had not implemented the quiet triumph of her entire term: people answering the phones again in government departments. He hadn't found a way to keep manufacturers onshore and small schools open in small towns. Nor had he ever got all six state premiers together without a single fight. (p.234)
However, as the story opens the PM has a report to read in preparation for an overhaul of the national health budget. It rejoices in the title Key Strategic Objectives: Minimising Negative Patient Outcomes, but it fails to keep her attention and sitting so long to read it (literally) gives her a pain in the proverbial:
The document she was reviewing, being a commissioned public service report, was woefully unclear. Actual patients did not rate a mention. Their specific health needs were smothered under bureaucratic jargon. Thick clods of managerese fell upon the subject as if it were already dead, shrouded, and six feet in the ground. She did not feel like a Health Service Stakeholder, and the report so far made her feel unenthusiastic about taking her right buttock, or any part of her anatomy, to medical facilities as they currently stood. (p.204)
Her garden is the one project that really matters to her:
She knew that in the years to come, retirement years, the post-leadership twilight world of sitting on boards and running consultancies and working for international charities — the quiet morning-tea existence, as opposed to the nonstop sushi train that was life now — she could easily have regrets. She would look back on this time in her life and never wish she had been to more briefings, overseen more committees, shaken hands with more delegations, attended more conferences, held more cabinet meetings. Especially not cabinet meetings. But she would regret it if she hadn't made the most of the garden. (p.205)
The truth is, she's not interested in the slog of governing and she would rather delegate the stuff that bores her to her ministers. What she wants is to generate ideas and indulge her well-hidden life of the mind, but she gets sucked into trivia which the media presents as evidence of fitness to govern:
All the accusations people levelled at elites being out of touch reached a crescendo when it came to parliamentarians. But she was probably the first prime minister of the country who knew the price of a litre of milk. At both the supermarket and the corner store. Previous prime ministers had been crucified for less than that.
(p. 233)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/02/13/z...
April 15, 2019
Four short stories on various topics followed by a novella called "Zebra" by this Australian author.
As there's no apparent link between these, I think the novella would have been better on it's own. A very strange story of a female Prime Minister, a strange next door neighbor, a zebra and a male personal assistant ten years her junior. They eventually fall in love (aided by the zebra!) and leave the job so they can be together. If you can suspend your disbelief you may just enjoy this very odd little story.
As there's no apparent link between these, I think the novella would have been better on it's own. A very strange story of a female Prime Minister, a strange next door neighbor, a zebra and a male personal assistant ten years her junior. They eventually fall in love (aided by the zebra!) and leave the job so they can be together. If you can suspend your disbelief you may just enjoy this very odd little story.
January 30, 2022
I have a rather ambivalent attitude towards short stories, and I find them very hard to review beyond merely summarizing them. Finally, after many decades, I have worked out that I enjoy them most when I read just one story at a sitting, no matter how brief, and leave it to percolate overnight until moving on to the next one. They are also very good for late-night reading when you're too tired to read anything that involves memorizing actions or characters beyond that one act of reading.
However, I do like Debra Adelaide's short stories. Flipping through the book beside me now, I can recognize and remember nearly each story on reading a paragraph or two (my test of whether a story has 'stuck' or not). The stories are arranged into three parts on the basis of whether they are narrated in first, second or third person, and the final story 'Zebra' is more novella than short-story at 121 pages.
All in all, a strong selection of stories that I felt perfectly happy to pick up each night. I think that 'Zebra' will remain in my mind because it was so strange, and I may think of 'Festive Food for the Whole Family' next Christmas (and send up a silent prayer of thanks that my own Christmases are much more pleasant occasions.)
I have no idea how to rate a short story collection, and Goodreads doesn't let you give half stars. If it did, I would go for 3.5.
For my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2022/01/30/...
However, I do like Debra Adelaide's short stories. Flipping through the book beside me now, I can recognize and remember nearly each story on reading a paragraph or two (my test of whether a story has 'stuck' or not). The stories are arranged into three parts on the basis of whether they are narrated in first, second or third person, and the final story 'Zebra' is more novella than short-story at 121 pages.
All in all, a strong selection of stories that I felt perfectly happy to pick up each night. I think that 'Zebra' will remain in my mind because it was so strange, and I may think of 'Festive Food for the Whole Family' next Christmas (and send up a silent prayer of thanks that my own Christmases are much more pleasant occasions.)
I have no idea how to rate a short story collection, and Goodreads doesn't let you give half stars. If it did, I would go for 3.5.
For my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2022/01/30/...
February 9, 2023
This is the 2nd book I have given a go, by Debra Adelaide and like the previous read, I found her writing style difficult to stay focused and keep track.
This book is full of short stories and many I couldn't even get through, as midway through many of them, they go off on a different tangent, while don't tend to go with the story and I got a little lost.
Not to say they were all bad, short stories Festive Food for the Whole Family, I quite liked, was a piss take at how we have to cater for family and everyone having different food preferences, which I found quite funny and No Hot Drinks in the Ward was ok too, about being a parent to a child who has Lukemia and living in McDonald house, which was thought provoking.
Even when I find an author, where I haven't been much of a fan, I continue to give other books a go, if they sound interesting - as you never know when you'll find a hidden gem of a read ❤️
This book is full of short stories and many I couldn't even get through, as midway through many of them, they go off on a different tangent, while don't tend to go with the story and I got a little lost.
Not to say they were all bad, short stories Festive Food for the Whole Family, I quite liked, was a piss take at how we have to cater for family and everyone having different food preferences, which I found quite funny and No Hot Drinks in the Ward was ok too, about being a parent to a child who has Lukemia and living in McDonald house, which was thought provoking.
Even when I find an author, where I haven't been much of a fan, I continue to give other books a go, if they sound interesting - as you never know when you'll find a hidden gem of a read ❤️
December 16, 2023
There are 14 short stories in this collection, and I only really connected at all with 2 of them.
I find the author to be more concerned with being clever than writing an engaging story, and I struggled to stay invested in finishing most of these stories to be honest.
The title story Zebra is the longest by far, and finishes off the collection. At first I did actually find it interesting, but then all this twee romance stuff comes in out of nowhere and it just sort of meanders to a weirdly nonsensical and abrupt halt.
I only finished this because I hate leaving books half-read, but it's a relief that I can put it away for good now.
I find the author to be more concerned with being clever than writing an engaging story, and I struggled to stay invested in finishing most of these stories to be honest.
The title story Zebra is the longest by far, and finishes off the collection. At first I did actually find it interesting, but then all this twee romance stuff comes in out of nowhere and it just sort of meanders to a weirdly nonsensical and abrupt halt.
I only finished this because I hate leaving books half-read, but it's a relief that I can put it away for good now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 29, 2020
I saw the author speaking at last year's Australian Short Story Festival and was intrigued by the structural conceit behind this, her most recent book; it's in three different sections, with the first narrated in the first person, the second in the second and the third in the third. The third section includes the title story, which is more of a novella, about a female Australian prime minister and her interactions with a surly neighbour and her advisor. I enjoyed the collection, which is well crafted, without being especially surprised by anything in it.
May 7, 2019
I loved the short stories but really felt brought down by the novella at the end of the book.
The way the stories are separated into 1st, 2nd and 3rd person perspectives is quite clever and something I haven't seen done before. I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories but felt like I was left hanging by the ending of Zebra and the conflict wasn't quite believable in it's resolution.
The way the stories are separated into 1st, 2nd and 3rd person perspectives is quite clever and something I haven't seen done before. I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories but felt like I was left hanging by the ending of Zebra and the conflict wasn't quite believable in it's resolution.
June 2, 2019
As with all collections somewhat mixed but some real gems!
August 11, 2019
I really enjoyed most of these stories. Plan to read more from this author.
June 16, 2020
A collection of short stories, funny, thoughtful, Australian. Really enjoyed them!
June 10, 2021
Couldn’t finish this one. Got through the first section and the stories seemed more like first chapters than stories. So I abandoned it sadly
November 6, 2020
I enjoyed the writing style (and range of first/second/third person writing) and thought provoking (and varied, surprising) subject matter. The short story format was handled well in some cases but other stories just felt so incomplete. Others were too artsy/literary/symbolic/deep for my tastes. I'm going to try a full length novel by the same author.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews