Wednesday 19 May 2021

Book Review: WE WERE NOT MEN by Campbell Mattinson

WE WERE NOT MEN

by
Campbell Mattison

Author: Campbell Mattison

Book: We Were Not Men

Publication Day: 02 June 2021 


A novel that punches you in the heart: the powerful, unbearably moving and ultimately uplifting story of twin brothers, Jon and Eden, as they grow up and begin to understand what it is to be men, and what it takes to knit a fractured family back together.


'We were sons, we were brothers. I didn't know how to be either.'

This is a story about love. About the love that nine-year-old twins Jon and Eden Hardacre have for their mum, for the creek that they swim in, for each other - this is the love that they trust, that's clear and pure as sunlight, as honey, as water.

But in the wake of a terrible accident, the boys have to grow up fast. They compete with each other to make the Olympic Games swimming squad, fall in love with the same girl, and begin to realise how complicated love can be and how it doesn't always show itself in the ways that we expect.

Heart-hammeringly original, intense and deeply moving, We Were Not Men is a powerhouse of a novel about all the various faces that love shows us and how sometimes, distracted by life, ambition or attraction, we take it for granted until it's too late - or almost too late. An unforgettable novel that pulses with grief, revelation, hope and love.

  

***
My Thoughts

I took my time reading WE WERE NOT MEN by Campbell Mattinson because the blurb made me think this was a story I’d want to savour and contemplate, and I was right.

This is a coming-of-age story about 9 year old twin brothers, Jon and Eden, who survive the accident that results in the death of their parents. Told from Jon’s point of view, we begin the journey of trying to move on from physical and emotional trauma; there is no going back, but the future is uncertain. There is much sorrow and sadness and grief to be processed, and although there is a thread of humour running throughout, I still found myself crying over a book. Gah!  

I really enjoyed the writing. I felt the story moved along well, and I appreciated that at times, I felt I was part of the action, and other times, just an observer.  If you’re up for an emotional read, give this one a go. 


Review copy courtesy of Better Reading and Netgalley



About the Author

Campbell Mattinson started a journalism cadetship in 1987. He's mostly worked as a writer, editor, photographer and wine critic, though he's also had stints as a dishwasher in an Indian restaurant, as a data entry clerk at a stockbroker and as a proofreader of phone books. He won the Best Australian Sports Writing Award in 1996 for a story that is the basis of We Were Not Men. His 2006 biography of winemaker Maurice O'Shea, The Wine Hunter, has won numerous awards, as has his website, The Winefront. He describes We Were Not Men as 'the only story I ever really wanted to write'.


https://www.campbellmattinson.com/