Memoirs for Fishy

Memoirs for Fishy revisits the first person story telling of the life of Bob, the central autobiographical character from Stainton’s previous novel From behind the Machine. It follows his return to Thailand in search of his past romance with On, while discovering more of Bruce’s excessive and hedonistic lifestyle. At the conclusion of his travels he slips back into his barista job in Sydney and moves in to live with Lars, a character with a shadowy past and questionable accomplices. The narrative then takes on shifts in perspective as Bob roves through scenes of his childhood in rural and small town New Zealand, where he reunites with siblings to unveil the headstone of his deceased mother – all told through a mosaic of memories of landscape and family. The final journey of Memoirs for Fishy is delivered in the third person and trails a surreal voyage as Bob drinks a beer at the Coogee Bay Hotel and is vanished into a dream world by a talking Fish named Fishy. Memoirs for Fishy touches full heartedly upon the themes of loneliness, love, friendship, forgiveness, family, purpose, addiction and acceptance. It is a timely reminder of the vulnerability and uncertainty of experience and the deliverance it bestows when we surrender to it completely.