John L G Pratt

Faint Tappings at the Wrong Window John L G Pratt

"Faint Tappings at the Wrong Window" is a picaresque or 'road' novel, set in and between Sydney, Adelaide and Nimbin, a small town in Northern New South Wales that became the centre of the counter-culture after the Aquarius Festival in 1973. The novel shows with great humour that the movement in Australia had a character of its own - almost like its equivalents in Europe and America but with differences that are uniquely Australian. It also chronicles the dramatic events of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government from a wholly new viewpoint. The 'hero' is a man who cannot find his rightful place in either 'straight' or 'alternative' society but in his travels assumes responsibility for finding a stray dog a home. The well-rounded characters are engaging and entertaining, dealing with the many twists and turns of the plot philosophically (for the most part) and leaving the reader feeling richer for having known them. The author uses language that is fresh and lively ... and, being set in Australia, occasionally coarse ... but also demonstrates great skill in story-telling. The pace is relentless from start to finish - but not without spaces to catch one's breath and reconsider the way in which one looks at the world.