A Country of Eternal Light – 1 Feb 2023 (pre-order now)

An astonishingly inventive, playful, witty, poignant and deeply moving novel from one of Australia's most exciting writers.

Margaret Bryce, deceased mother of twins, has been having a hard time since dying in 2014. These days she spends time with her daughters – Eva in Madrid, and Rachel and her family in Melbourne – and her estranged husband, Henry, in Aberdeen. Mostly she enjoys the experience of revisiting the past, but she's tiring of the seemingly random events to which she repeatedly bears witness. There must be something more to life, she thinks. And death.

Spanning more than seventy-five years, from 1945 to 2021, A Country of Eternal Light follows Margaret as she flits from wartime Germany to Thatcher's Britain to modern-day Scotland, Australia and Spain, ruminating on everything from the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster and Australia's Black Summer bushfires to Mary Queen of Scots' beheading, the death of Princess Diana and in-vitro fertilisation. But why is facing up to what's happened in one's past as hard as, if not harder than, blocking it out completely? A poignant, utterly original and bitingly funny novel about complicated grief and how we remain wanted by our loved ones, dead or alive.

PRAISE FOR A COUNTRY OF ETERNAL LIGHT

'Prepare to have your heart broken and mended and broken again as you flit with everywoman Margaret Bryce - Aberdonian housewife and unwilling phantom - through scenes in her life that tumble over its boundaries. Paul Dalgarno writes with mischievous delight and compassionate intelligence on that which animates us in the face of mortality, exhuming what is unremembered with clear-eyed wisdom and impeccable craft. I gasped in sheer wonder on finishing this illuminating meditation on the demands of grief, time and love that fragment and bind a family; Mary Shelley would clap her hands in delight at such an audacious creation' – Josephine Taylor, author of Eye of a Rook

'Paul Dalgarno's luminous novel is transportive, taking us on a metaphysical literary journey that interrogates the nature of death while exploring the outer limits of grief. Uncanny, evocative and droll, A Country of Eternal Light reminds us that no one is ever truly gone and sometimes, like this book, we don't want them to leave' – Chris Flynn, author of Mammoth

'A balance of electric brightness and sequestered shadows - a powerful, rollicking and memorable narrative. The reader is invited to be intimate with the experience of revisiting the past, hoping for the future and regretting what cannot be changed. A philosophical, emotional and entertaining work, startlingly imagined' – Angela Meyer, author of A Superior Spectre

'Wonderful, heartbreaking and beautiful. Dalgarno weaves time, family and love effortlessly. A book that will continue to echo in my heart' – R.W.R. McDonald, author of The Nancys

'Such playfulness of language and gloriousness of detail. So unique and inventive. I am in awe' – Michelle Johnston, author of Tiny Uncertain Miracles

'A magical and invigorating ride. A joyful, tender novel about an unusual family, showing playfulness at every turn' – Laura Elvery, author of Ordinary Matter

'Wildly inventive and bursting with heart, Paul Dalgarno's A Country of Eternal Light is one of the most original meditations on life, love and family you'll ever come across. At its core are the questions: how is a life constructed from the memories we choose to remember, and what of those we'll do anything to forget? A kaleidoscopic novel wrestling with grand ideas, featuring an unforgettable protagonist and a sting in the tail that'll have you rushing back to the beginning to figure out how Dalgarno executed his devastating sleight-of-hand' – Wayne Marshall, author of Shirl

'I absolutely adored this book and the dark whimsy of its big-hearted narrator. A delicate exploration of love, loss and the small (yet significant) details that make up a human life, A Country of Eternal Light will both devastate and sustain you long after its final page' – Imbi Neeme, author of The Spill

Prudish Nation – 3 June 2023 (pre-order now)

From its early settler days and Federation to the extreme literary censorship of the 20th century, from the 2017 Marriage Amendment Act to present-day morality and identity politics, it’s tempting to ask: is ‘fun-loving, laid-back’ Australia actually a bit, well, prudish?

Interviewing more than 30 Australia-based authors and thinkers while examining his own journey towards being openly non-monogamous, Poly author Paul Dalgarno pulls together social history and illuminating first-hand accounts of what it means to have ‘unconventional’ relationships – with others and even with ourselves – in 21st-century Australia.

Do authors such as Christos Tsiolkas, Dennis Altman and Andrea Goldsmith think we’re more tolerant than we once were? Are writers such as Lee Kofman, Rochelle Siemienowicz and Jinghua Qian optimistic about the future? Do terms such as LGBTQIA+ help or hinder meaningful progress? How does transitioning now compare to transitioning in the 1990s? How does ‘queerness’ affect notions of parenthood? Do therapists and psychologists still operate from a straight-white-male perspective and how can new practitioners such as popular psychologist and author Chris Cheers change that? 

Entertaining, insightful, funny and thought-provoking, Prudish Nation adjusts the country’s bedside lamp to show us a little more clearly who and what we really are. 

POLY (2020 – buy it now)

Chris Flood – a married father of two with plummeting self-esteem and questionable guitar skills – suddenly finds himself in the depths of polyamory after years of a near-sexless marriage. His wife, Sarah – a lover of the arts, avid quoter of Rumi, and always oozing confidence – wants to rediscover her sexuality after years of deadening domesticity.

Their new life of polyamory features late nights, love affairs and rotating childcare duties. While Sarah enjoys flings with handsome men, Chris, much to his astonishment, falls for a polydactylous actor and musician, Biddy.

Then there’s Zac Batista. When Chris and Sarah welcome the Uruguayan child prodigy and successful twenty-two-year-old into their lives they gratefully hand over school pick-up and babysitting duties. But as tensions grow between family and lovers, Chris begins to wonder if it’s just jealousy, or something more sinister brewing…

A searing and utterly engrossing debut, Poly is a raw, hilarious, and moving portrait of contemporary relationships in all their diversity, and an intimate exploration of the fragility of love and identity.

‘Sardonic and playful, this is a world in which virtues don’t have definable corresponding vices. Love isn’t a concept of wholeness or oneness, nor can it be divided. It is a natural state – wonderful, often chaotic, fully lived – and this is what Paul Dalgarno gives us in Poly.’ – Australian Book Review

‘A fresh, witty take on modern masculinity and the lengths a man will go to for love. And sex. Lots and lots of sex.’ —Angela Savage

‘A quintessential 21st Century love story, Poly will shake you up, madden you, have you in stitches and, most significantly, make you consider your own life more deeply. I couldn’t put this novel down.’ —Lee Kofman

‘No one uncovers our human frailties quite like Paul Dalgarno – part relentless investigative journalist, part poet of the bohemian suburbs. Poly is authentic, merciless and wincingly accurate; black humour at its best.’ —Jane Rawson

‘An engaging entanglement of love, desire and distraction.’ —Angela Meyer

‘Poly takes us into the heart of a loving family we want to be part of, no matter how dysfunctional it gets. A rip-roaring ride through contemporary Melbourne that will have you heartbroken one moment and laughing the next. This is a portrait of real, lived poly life – with all of its paradoxes and complications – that I recognise with delight.' —Rochelle Siemienowicz

‘Dalgarno lays bare the complexities of modern adult relationships, neatly balancing a discussion of freedom and self-expression with an examination of the adult responsibilities of careers and children.’ —Books+Publishing

‘Explores modern masculinity through a polyamorous lens. An entertaining, hot mess of an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.’ —Penthouse

‘A very modern novel of manners […] Paul Dalgarno weaves a tale of twenty-first century sexual relationships, family dynamics, parenting issues and dramas, and betrayal… themes of sex, drug-taking, and family are linked with the concepts of masculinity and trust to create a novel which explores contemporary relationships in a very charming and disarming way. A fine debut with engaging characters which deserves to be widely read.’ —Queensland Writers Collective

‘Polyamorous romantic drama. A wild ride. Dalgarno includes mental health issues that impact on contemporary relationships as several of the male characters are suffering anxiety and/or depression along with questioning their masculinity.’ —OUTinPerth

‘What a cracker! One of the most pleasing reads published in the present pandemic […] Dalgarno is disarmingly adept at depicting his inner-city dwellers facing self-esteem issues as they confront the twilight of their youth and try to reign in their renegade responsibilities […] funny, honest, and nimble.’ —Sydney Arts Guide

“A hilarious but moving story of modern relationships in all their diversity, and an exploration of the fragility of love.” —Good Reading

‘Humorous and clever in its juxtapositions of domesticity and sexual exploration …’ —Kill Your Darlings

‘In a post Fifty Shades of Grey world, Poly is another story with sex at its heart. The prose is light-hearted, non-judgemental and drizzled with droll humour. Dalgarno’s writing is lively, and upbeat. It’s a racy, pacy, can’t-stop-to-take-a-breath romp of a read, and the protagonist’s stark honesty and relatable frustrations with everyday life makes Poly a page-turner.’ —ArtsHub

‘A hilarious, witty and engrossing debut. Fun and pacy black comedy… Absorbing… a refreshingly honest and authentic take on love and sex, as well as an intimate exploration of 21st century masculinity… Dalgarno’s use of prose, is raw, visceral and pulsing with energy. Dalgarno doesn’t shy away from touchy subject-matter either, exploring the topics of polyamory, sex, mental illness and masculinity so explicatory it will leave you wincing yet craving more… Incredibly funny… Poly is a raw, hilarious and intimate portrait of contemporary relationships in all their diversity.’ —Better Reading

‘An exploration of identity and love with all their messy, flawed complexities, Poly commendably handles issues around mental illness and suicide.’ —The Big Issue

‘Poly normalises masculine anxiety and open relationships. Poly’s dirty realism rarely tumbles into ethical compassing. Dalgarno’s best achievement is in montaging Chris’s spasmodic thoughts – adrift anywhere between bathing children at home and watching over Sarah having sex with a stranger – which means that Poly remains fundamentally about men and their primitive fear of other men as a threat to their procreative prowess. The novel’s whodunnit subplot overlays and animates this thematic focus. Is Zac an imposter on a calculated mission to usurp Chris’s role as the man of the house? Has he done anything inappropriate to the kids? A movie-script ambiance gives these flickering moments a sense of dimension …’ —The Monthly

POLY is published by Ventura Press and available in bookshops and online.

And You May Find Yourself (2015 – buy it now)

And You May Find Yourself is the hilarious and harrowing account of an émigré in Melbourne, in search of a job so that his young family can live, and desperately at odds with his new-found role as a father and bread-winner. Living in his in-laws’ lounge room with mounting disgust growing between him and his wife and a tenuous hold on an emotional connection with his two children, his life is cramped, poor, and seemingly adrift from the future he thought he would have for himself. 

”A fascinating and startlingly frank exploration of contemporary masculinity.” James Bradley, The Australian.

“Honest, raw, hilarious, melancholic. Impeccable writing. Compelling storytelling. Paul Dalgarno writes like The Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan sings. Quite a ride.” Catherine Deveny, writer and comedian.

”In this unflinching examination of his life, Dalgarno grapples with his father’s legacy and the dark side of being an Aberdonian.” Fiona Capp, The Sydney Morning Herald.

”Haunting in its honesty. Dalgarno’s depiction of the difficulties of a new country, new job and new family is compelling.” Michelle See-Tho, The Daily Review.

”Dalgarno writes with hostility and anger, but the prose is often tender, and always candid […] Tiny tragedies are drawn with weight and sensitivity.” Daniel Juckes, Australian Book Review.

”For proof that in capable hands drama does not need the largest of stages and that everyday lives contain multitudes, look no further.” Edd McCracken, Book Riot.

”This story is as real as it gets and all with an internal soundtrack playing quietly in the background: When it comes it changes your life.” Declan O’Reilly, Writerful Books.

”Whether it’s dealing with a second-hand rustmobile for a car or grappling with the hateful relationship he has with his own dad, Dalgarno’s candour is humbling.” Thuy On, The Sunday Age.

”A moving and engaging book with moments of hilarity and a real ability to engage. [...] Paul’s book has changed me.” Clint Greagen, author.

”Honest, entirely original, and often hilarious – one man’s coming to terms with his new country, and himself.” Gay Alcorn, Guardian Australia.

READ CHAPTER ONE