{"id":83452,"date":"2018-10-10T16:21:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T05:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=83452"},"modified":"2019-04-23T11:32:32","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T00:32:32","slug":"shell-kristina-olsson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2018\/10\/10\/shell-kristina-olsson\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Shell by Kristina Olsson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"shell\"<\/a>Shell<\/strong>
\nby Kristina Olsson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Review by Ben Hunter<\/strong><\/p>\n

This weeks\u2019 media storm over Alan Jones and the NSW Liberal Government\u2019s bullying of the Sydney Opera House Chief, Louise Herron, into projecting horse racing ads onto the iconic Opera House sails is yet another skirmish in a cultural war over the World Heritage-listed building that has raged since its controversial beginning. The multi award-winning author Kristina Olsson\u2019s beautiful new novel takes readers back to where it all began.<\/p>\n

In Shell<\/em>, Olsson focuses a literary lens on a great paradigm shift of modern history – a sudden rift in our ethical, political and cultural landscape, tectonic in scale. An unprecedented structure takes form over Sydney Harbour, a bewildering, curving and arching set of organic forms – a new cathedral to art and beauty.<\/p>\n

The sheer grandeur and expense of the undertaking puts Danish Architect, J\u00f8rn Utzon, in the crosshairs of the both the papers and Government House. Olsson places the visionary glassmaker Axel Lindquist in the creative heart of the project, stalking the streets of 1965 Sydney in the shadow of the enigmatic architect.<\/p>\n

But at the time, a much greater shadow loomed over the nation. In tandem with our greatest state-sponsored artistic endeavor came the greatest state-sponsored killing of the era – the Vietnam War and the deadly lottery that tore Australia apart.<\/p>\n

Pearl Koegh, after being quarantined from the Herald\u2019s newsroom for showing anti-war sentiment, is desperately trying to find her two brothers and rescue them from the draft. It\u2019s a search that will take her to all kinds of difficult and unexpected places.<\/p>\n

Together Axel and Pearl are at ground zero of this immense and unprecedented societal shift. Their story is told in precise and lyricaly drawn prose at times heartbreaking and dazzling in the Olsson\u2019s author\u2019s grasp at true and uncompromised beauty. A timely reminder of the importance of making a stand on the things that really matter, this book is every bit as impressive as its eye-grabbing, luminous cover art.<\/p>\n

Click the link below to listen to Ben Hunter and John Purcell chat with Kristina Olsson for The Booktopia Podcast …<\/strong><\/p>\n