Dear Colleagues,

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As in the previous year, this year's calendar will form as we go through it month-by-month based on selections that are chosen at the meetings or suggested by various members. To that end, we begin 2025 in January with a book discussion. The book is Malice By Keigo Higashino. In this gripping and unconventional mystery, an acclaimed novelist Kunihiko Hidaka is found murdered in his locked office the night before moving abroad. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga is tasked with uncovering the truth, but the case quickly takes a surprising turn. Not the typical "whodunnit", Malice delves into the deeper questions of why and how, unravelling layers of motives and deceit. With well-paced storytelling and psychological insight, Keigo Higashino crafts a compelling tale that keeps readers questioning every detail until the final revelation. A thought-provoking exploration of the human psyche and the nature of malice.

  In February we explore the OpenAi text to video tool Sora. This will be an interactive "movie" session, where we try our hand at video making using Sora, based on prompts suggested by participants. There is a lot of material one can find on the internet, but I recommend a quick browse of the tutorial on this page.

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In March we read Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. The first novel of a trilogy, set in a distant future ruled by the vast Radch empire, Ancillary Justice follows Breq, the sole surviving fragment of a once-powerful starship AI, seeking vengeance for a devastating betrayal. As she navigates political intrigue and questions of identity, Breq must adapt to her new, limited human form while confronting the empire that created and destroyed her. Ann Leckie’s groundbreaking novel is a gripping tale of revenge, justice, and the nature of consciousness, challenging perceptions of gender and identity through the Radchaai language, which erases distinctions and forces readers to reconsider their assumptions about character and power. Ancillary Justice made history as the first novel to win all four of science fiction’s major awards - the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, and Philip K. Dick - cementing Leckie’s place as a major voice in the genre.

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In April we have a movie session, where we discuss All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia."All We Imagine as Light" is a 2024 drama directed by Payal Kapadia that intricately weaves the lives of three women—Prabha, Anu, and Parvati—working at a hospital in Mumbai. Prabha, a head nurse, faces the emotional void left by her estranged husband who moved to Germany; Anu, her younger roommate, navigates a concealed relationship with a Muslim man amidst societal prejudices; and Parvati, a cook, confronts eviction due to urban redevelopment. The narrative delves into themes of female friendship, desire, and the quest for personal freedom within a patriarchal society. Kapadia's portrayal of Mumbai juxtaposes the city's bustling chaos with moments of dreamlike tranquility, capturing the essence of urban life and the characters' inner worlds. The film's evocative storytelling and visual poetry earned it the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, marking a significant achievement for Indian cinema on the international stage.

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In May we read Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton, a poignant novel set in contemporary Brisbane. It follows a nameless teenage girl and her mother, who have been on the run for sixteen years, living in a dilapidated van by the Brisbane River. The girl dreams of becoming a renowned artist, often envisioning her future exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her journey is interwoven with elements of magical realism, including conversations with a mysterious figure named Lola in a cracked mirror, symbolizing her quest for identity and self-understanding. Dalton's narrative delves into themes of homelessness, domestic violence, and the resilience of the human spirit, painting a vivid picture of life on the fringes of society. The novel combines gritty realism with hopeful fantasy, offering a compelling story of survival, art, and the search for one's true self.​ Lola in the Mirror has been widely recognized in the literary community. It won the 2024 Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) for Literary Fiction Book of the Year. Additionally, it was shortlisted for several other awards, including the 2023 Dymocks Book of the Year, the 2024 Indie Book Awards, the 2024 Book People Fiction Book of the Year, the 2024 Australian Book Design Awards for Best Designed Commercial Fiction Cover, and the 2024 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award.

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In June we discuss Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, a witty and inventive locked-room mystery set aboard Australia’s iconic Ghan train. True crime author Ernest Cunningham, battling writer’s block, joins a crime-writing festival in search of inspiration - only to find himself in the middle of a real murder. With every passenger a fellow crime writer (and therefore a potential suspect), Ernest must navigate a maze of rivalries, secrets, and egos. This is a mystery novel with a distinctly comedic touch - at times reading as if a modern-day P.G. Wodehouse had turned his pen to a whodunit. Blending humour with suspense, it’s an offbeat and engaging read for mystery lovers.

 

The reading for July is Journey Under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino, an author whose novel Malice we read recently in a previous meeting of the club. Set in Osaka in 1973, Journey Under the Midnight Sun begins with the murder of a pawnshop owner in a derelict building. As the case remains unsolved, the story unfolds over two decades, following a persistent detective and two youths whose lives are shaped by the lingering shadow of the crime. Spanning a period of rapid economic and social transformation in Japan, the novel subtly reflects shifting norms, technological change, and the complexities of modern identity. Keigo Higashino masterfully weaves a slow-burning, gritty psychological mystery that is as much about human nature as it is about uncovering the truth.

 

The book for August, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is an anti-war classic that remains strikingly relevant today. Centred on Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who becomes “unstuck in time,” the novel shuffles between his harrowing experience of the firebombing of Dresden in World War II and surreal episodes on an alien planet. Blending science fiction, satire, and deep existential reflection, Vonnegut exposes the absurdity and devastation of war with haunting clarity. First published in 1969, its timeless critique of violence, fatalism, and the human cost of conflict continues to resonate in an age still marked by war and dislocation.

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The book we will read in September, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney is releatively fast paced and doesn’t demand too much heavy lifting at a time of year when we’re all busy!

 

In Sometimes I Lie, Alice Feeney draws us into the mind of Amber Reynolds, who lies in a hospital bed, paralyzed and unable to communicate, though she can hear everything around her. As her story unfolds through shifting timelines - her present condition, the days leading up to the accident, and entries from a childhood diary - the boundaries between truth and deception become increasingly fragile. This psychological thriller reveals the dark undercurrents of memory and identity, where nothing is ever entirely certain.

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In October we view and discuss the movie The Thursday Murder Club, based on the mystery series of the same name by Richard Osman, four witty retirees living in a tranquil English retirement village spend their Thursdays solving cold-case mysteries - until a real murder occurs right on their doorstep. As unlikely sleuths, they team up with a local police constable to unravel clues, expose secrets, and show that wisdom (and determination) only deepens with age. The film stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie.

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To learn more about our events please see the Past and Upcoming Events section below.

 

Kind regards,

 

Radhika Lahiri

Executive Director, WEN, Qld.

On behalf of the No Free Lunch Book and Movie Club