Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%
Fiction

Stories from the Warm Zone by Jessica Anderson

by Paul Salzman
July 1987, no. 92

Stories from the Warm Zone by Jessica Anderson

Penguin, $9.95, 245 pp

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.

In her interview with Candida Baker for Yacker 2, Jessica Anderson expresses her dissatisfaction with the covers of a number of her books, citing in particular the glum face on the paperback of The Impersonators and the representation of The Commandant as, in Baker’s words, ‘a Regency romance’. Anderson, who began as a commercial artist, stresses that ‘Design and presentation ... really matter. They’re the introduction to a book.’ It seems to me to be particularly unfortunate (although she may well have given it her blessing) that her new book sports a clichéd Ken Done cover. Perhaps Done’s bright colours might evoke the ‘warm zone’ of the title, although Anderson is referring to Brisbane, not Done’s mock-naïve view of Sydney. Unfortunately, the cover subliminally suggests that Anderson’s writing is sunnily comforting, easily assimilated.

 


Continue reading for only $10 per month.
Subscribe and gain full access to Australian Book Review.

Already a subscriber? .
If you need assistance, feel free to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..



Stories from the Warm Zone by Jessica Anderson

Penguin, $9.95, 245 pp

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.


From the New Issue

Ripeness: A novel about social maturation by Sarah Moss

by Amy Walters

Science Under Siege: Defending science from dark forces by Michael Mann and Peter Hotez

by Ian Lowe

What Is Wrong with Men by Jessa Crispin & The Male Complaint by Simon James Copland

by Tom Ryan

You May Also Like

John Wren by James Griffin

by Chris McConville

June 2008 - Letters

by Australian Book Review

Telling Lives: Eminent lectures on biography and life writing edited by Chris Wallace

by Richard Freadman

Leave a comment

If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.

If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.

Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.

Submit comment