Book of the Week: Hellgoing by Lynn Coady

It’s an obvious choice for our Book of the Week, given Lynn Coady’s Giller win Tuesday night, but it’s also a great choice. The eight stories in Hellgoing, a collection of new and previously published works, are intricate and compelling, separate in their characters and worlds, yet united by Coady’s fluid writing and humour. From the frustrated young nun caring for a fanatical anorexic and a woman on a ventilator who doesn’t want to quit smoking, to the unsettling bond that evolves over the years between a schoolgirl and her teacher, Coady brilliantly conveys the foibles of men and women, inviting the reader to examine the realities and intricacies of life.