The Slap

I finished reading The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas this week. I was disappointed with it. Some parts of it were enjoyable and entertaining but on the whole it left me with a dissatisfied feeling. I had problems with the book on two major counts. One was that it almost seemed to me that the author was trying to be politically correct creating a mixed bunch of ethnic backgrounds for the main characters. I know we live in a multi cultural Australia but I just found the idea of such a range of ethnicities being present in such a small group of friends to be somewhat beyond belief. I admit to growing up in the country so perhaps I just don't know what it is like to live in suburban Melbourne.

The other thing I took issue with was the frequent, in fact I would say overuse of one of the very worst swear words. (in my opinion) I am not talking about the 'F' word either. I'm not a prude. I read women's erotica and have even written some myself. I understand sometimes such words are used for the power behind them. However in my opinion in this instance the coarseness was grating and used unnecesssarily and much more frequently than I would have expected. I wondered to myself how many unsuspecting readers picked up the book only to be totally horrified by the use of the 'c' word on the very first page. (and thereafter)
My advice would be if you think you might like to read this book borrow a copy from your library first. I certainly was not enamoured of it enough for it to earn a permanent place on my bookshelf.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen