The Promise by Tony Birch Book review by Jeremy Limn

The closest author to Richard Flanagan is Tony Birch, not because he has won the Patrick White Award, or because he has some excellent literary standing in the Australian fiction community; it is because he is writing the stories we desperately need to hear. Tony Birch’s collection of short stories The Promise; promises more than simply brevity, he communicates the Australian story in the best way possible.

All these stories are in the first person, and the stories are all from the male point of view. I can solemnly say without a doubt that The Promise is a must read for any Australian writer who is hunting to emulate what admirable Australian fiction is all about. Tony Birch is an excellent indigenous writer who has a lot to say about Australian life, culture, and the search for meaning.

Tony Birch opts for undeviating dialogue, and punchy sentences with more emphasis on how the character finds out his or her surroundings. The stories are geographically relevant to small rural towns all the way to big cities; these contrasting themes aim to paint a picture of what small and big town life is like. Tony Birch conveys the importance of symbolises with intense imagery The Promise does not fail in the character’s journey of self-discovery

Tony Birch employs emotive language to illuminate how we as humans will always face a crisis. The events…