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The novel that launched the career of one of Australia’s greatest writers, following the doomed infatuations of a young, single mother, enthralled by the excesses of Melbourne's late-70s counterculture
The name Helen Garner commands near-universal acclaim. A master novelist, short-story writer, and journalist, Garner is best known for her frank, unsparing, and intricate portraits of Australian life, often drawn from the pages of her own journals and diaries. Now, in a newly available US edition, comes the disruptive debut that established Garner's masterful and quietly radical literary voice.
Set in Australia in the late 1970s, Monkey Grip follows single mother and writer Nora as she navigates the tumultuous cityscape of Melbourne’s bohemian underground, often with her young daughter Gracie in tow. When Nora falls in love with the flighty Javo, she becomes snared in the web of his addiction. And as their tenuous relationship disintegrates, Nora struggles to wean herself off a love that feels impossible to live without.
When it first published in 1977, Monkey Grip was both a sensation and a lightning rod. While some critics praised the upstart Garner for her craft, many scorned her gritty depictions of the human body and all its muck, her frankness about sex and drugs and the mess of motherhood, and her unabashed use of her own life as inspiration. Today, such criticism feels old-fashioned and glaringly gendered, and Monkey Grip is considered a modern masterpiece.
A seminal novel of Australia’s turbulent 1970s and all it entailed—communal households, music, friendships, children, love, drugs, and sex—Monkey Grip now makes its long-overdue American debut.
The name Helen Garner commands near-universal acclaim. A master novelist, short-story writer, and journalist, Garner is best known for her frank, unsparing, and intricate portraits of Australian life, often drawn from the pages of her own journals and diaries. Now, in a newly available US edition, comes the disruptive debut that established Garner's masterful and quietly radical literary voice.
Set in Australia in the late 1970s, Monkey Grip follows single mother and writer Nora as she navigates the tumultuous cityscape of Melbourne’s bohemian underground, often with her young daughter Gracie in tow. When Nora falls in love with the flighty Javo, she becomes snared in the web of his addiction. And as their tenuous relationship disintegrates, Nora struggles to wean herself off a love that feels impossible to live without.
When it first published in 1977, Monkey Grip was both a sensation and a lightning rod. While some critics praised the upstart Garner for her craft, many scorned her gritty depictions of the human body and all its muck, her frankness about sex and drugs and the mess of motherhood, and her unabashed use of her own life as inspiration. Today, such criticism feels old-fashioned and glaringly gendered, and Monkey Grip is considered a modern masterpiece.
A seminal novel of Australia’s turbulent 1970s and all it entailed—communal households, music, friendships, children, love, drugs, and sex—Monkey Grip now makes its long-overdue American debut.
80 Reviews
3.0
guida
Created 4 days agoShare
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“i think it’s important to admit when a book wasn’t written for you. it’s incredibly will written and i can’t say i didn’t enjoy reading it, yet it’s not a story i would’ve chosen myself. i don’t know exactly why but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. with that said - great writing, interesting characters and a type of slice of life story (which normally IS my cup of tea). oh well helen - you’re a good writer, i’m sure another one of your stories will be it for me. monkey grip was good, just not mine. 4/5”
Danielle Walsh
Created 15 days agoShare
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“Monkey Grip is a book that’s an immersive exploration of sex, drugs, and relationships in 1970s Melbourne.
The story meanders through characters and places including shared houses and spaces where people move around fluidly - supporting each other with every asset of their lives. There’s a lot of mutual care, particularly for the children, who are always present, meanwhile all of the adults all shifting from one partner to the next daily with ease.
At its core, the book is about addiction, to drugs, love, sex, and a sense of being and belonging.
I loved the first half of this, I felt it was similar in vibe to Patti Smith’s writing, particularly in the way she observes people and places with a mix of detachment and deep affection. However, towards the middle and end, it got a bit repetitive for me.”
Kam
Created about 2 months agoShare
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“This book had a good portrayal of abuse within a relationship and dependency. But the constant repetition of hate, love, drugs, sex, disrupted sleeping and sadness grew tiresome. The story picked up around the last 75 pages so it could have been way shorter and have a smaller cast of characters. I will say though garner describes things beautifully in some sections of the book which I’ve tabbed for future reflection.”
Alex Kinsman
Created 2 months agoShare
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About Helen Garner
HELEN GARNER writes novels, stories, screenplays, and works of non-fiction. In 2006 she received the inaugural Melbourne Prize for Literature, and in 2016 she won the prestigious Windham–Campbell Literature Prize for Non-fiction. In 2019 she was honoured with the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. Her books include Monkey Grip, The Children’s Bach, Cosmo Cosmolino, The Spare Room, The First Stone, This House of Grief, Everywhere I Look, and her diaries Yellow Notebook, One Day I’ll Remember This, and How to End a Story.
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