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tildahlia's review
4.0
A gritty and thoughtful book on society's relationship with alcohol, viewed through the lens of the author's own life and the tragic death of her younger brother. More memoir than non-fiction, the author uses a timeline of grief over her brother's death as a tethering point to reflect upon her own drinking - which sits somewhere on the oft-overlooked margins between 'acceptable' middle-class overindulgence and full-blown alcoholism. It's thoughtful and not gratuitous (capturing the fact that grief is more an enduring, boring grind rather than the melodrama it is often portrayed as) and has some interesting (and sometimes confronting) travel narrative woven in. Highly recommend.
gbatts's review
2.0
An amusing and timely read, giving a personal account of a turbulent relationship with alcohol as the headlines rage on about alcohol-fuelled violence and Keep Sydney Open campaigns. However, the research didn't delve far enough into the cultural reasons behind Australia's binge cultural and was lacking in insight. Ultimately the conclusion contradicted experiences in the book; why introduce more or stricter controls when the ones already in place are so poorly enforced and easy to get around?
lozzyd's review
3.0
An interesting commentary on Australian drinking culture inspired by sad events. It was an eye opening read and provides a lot of interesting talking points. I think this would be so helpful for teenagers and university students who are navigating new social situations.
sarah_mcmullan_nz's review
4.0
It would be easy to look at the title of this book and put it down thinking it’s another academic waxing lyrical about the evils of alcohol, couching it in self-help terms and a preachy tone.
It’s not.
WASTED is a book that every New Zealander and Australian needs to read because realistically anyone of us could find ourselves in the same position as Elspeth Muir or the many people attending her brother’s funeral in the opening scene of the book.
What starts as a personal story turns into an examination of the current drinking culture in NZ and Australia. Muir’s youngest brother Alexander was 21. He’d finished his uni exams that day and gone out celebrating like he’d done a hundred times before. He got wasted like he usually did, except on this particular night he jumped off a bridge into a river and drowned.
What follows is one woman taking a long hard look at her brother’s life and how many warning signs of problems drinking are considered normal by everyday standards. Binge drinking, blackouts, belligerence when drunk, mood swings, unusual choices… You might not tick all but you’ve probably ticked some. WASTED is a sobering look at just how dependent we are as nations on alcohol. Economically, socially, and psychologically. It’s part of our nation’s identity woven through so many pivotal life events on both sides of the Tasman.
More impressive still, is that Muir never lets you forget that Alex was a real person. Her brother. He has parents, siblings, friends, lovers. People that still miss him every day, people that still wonder why that night was different. People that still hurt. It’s that bittersweet quality to Muir’s writing that makes WASTED something special, something more than a misery memoir or an academic text on how we should live.
If I had my way, I’d give this to everyone in their last year of high school, and their parents too.
Sarah McMullan @sarahmcmullannz
It’s not.
WASTED is a book that every New Zealander and Australian needs to read because realistically anyone of us could find ourselves in the same position as Elspeth Muir or the many people attending her brother’s funeral in the opening scene of the book.
What starts as a personal story turns into an examination of the current drinking culture in NZ and Australia. Muir’s youngest brother Alexander was 21. He’d finished his uni exams that day and gone out celebrating like he’d done a hundred times before. He got wasted like he usually did, except on this particular night he jumped off a bridge into a river and drowned.
What follows is one woman taking a long hard look at her brother’s life and how many warning signs of problems drinking are considered normal by everyday standards. Binge drinking, blackouts, belligerence when drunk, mood swings, unusual choices… You might not tick all but you’ve probably ticked some. WASTED is a sobering look at just how dependent we are as nations on alcohol. Economically, socially, and psychologically. It’s part of our nation’s identity woven through so many pivotal life events on both sides of the Tasman.
More impressive still, is that Muir never lets you forget that Alex was a real person. Her brother. He has parents, siblings, friends, lovers. People that still miss him every day, people that still wonder why that night was different. People that still hurt. It’s that bittersweet quality to Muir’s writing that makes WASTED something special, something more than a misery memoir or an academic text on how we should live.
If I had my way, I’d give this to everyone in their last year of high school, and their parents too.
Sarah McMullan @sarahmcmullannz
bookybrookey's review
3.0
I almost put this book down after the first page had sentences like: ‘Crickets fucked in the bougainvillea’ and I saw that the author had been published in literary journals like the Lifted Brow that published pieces that would not find that phrase unusual. However, I had to read it for a university assignment so I persisted.
In the end there weren’t many more phrases like this and Muir discussed many important aspects of alcohol and Australian society that I found insightful and interesting.
Overall the whole book just made me glad that my parents and my closest friends aren’t drinkers because I think this plays a huge part in the fact that I don’t drink. The book really showed the dangers of drinking and the horrible spiral of negative events that can occur in life as a result.
I found my reading experience was similar to that of Wild by Cheryl Strayed whereby I was shaking my head at the author and her subject’s bad choices from a young age. But unlike Wild there was no hike across miles and mountains so I did not enjoy Wasted as much.
Unfortunately I’m even more convinced that Australia has a horrible relationship with alcohol and that the drastic changes that are needed to change this are coming about too slowly. I want to push this book into the faces of the people I know who drink excessively and shout ‘Wake up. This is not living and you are harming yourselves every Friday and Saturday night for no good reason!’ But alas, people who would rather live off bread for a week to save money for alcohol aren’t likely to spend the time or money on reading the book anyway.
In the end there weren’t many more phrases like this and Muir discussed many important aspects of alcohol and Australian society that I found insightful and interesting.
Overall the whole book just made me glad that my parents and my closest friends aren’t drinkers because I think this plays a huge part in the fact that I don’t drink. The book really showed the dangers of drinking and the horrible spiral of negative events that can occur in life as a result.
I found my reading experience was similar to that of Wild by Cheryl Strayed whereby I was shaking my head at the author and her subject’s bad choices from a young age. But unlike Wild there was no hike across miles and mountains so I did not enjoy Wasted as much.
Unfortunately I’m even more convinced that Australia has a horrible relationship with alcohol and that the drastic changes that are needed to change this are coming about too slowly. I want to push this book into the faces of the people I know who drink excessively and shout ‘Wake up. This is not living and you are harming yourselves every Friday and Saturday night for no good reason!’ But alas, people who would rather live off bread for a week to save money for alcohol aren’t likely to spend the time or money on reading the book anyway.
textpublishing's review
5.0
‘Wasted barrels headfirst into the alcohol-soaked heart of Australia to report on our fraught love affair with drinking. With this story, which is as complex, bittersweet and rich as youth itself, Muir uses memoir and journalism for a sobering, heartbreaking exploration of what alcohol gives to young people in Australia, and what it robs us of.’
Liam Pieper
‘Intricately crafted…An intimate portrait of a grieving family and a nation unable to reconcile itself to the harmful effects of its drinking culture…Reminiscent of writers such as Chloe Hooper and Helen Garner…This book will help you think critically and compassionately about those who seek solace in alcohol.’
Books + Publishing
‘The prose style of this unheralded writer…is so achingly beautiful and assured, Helen Garner might be pleased to hand her the keys to the creative nonfiction kingdom and ride off into the Carlton sunset.’
Saturday Paper
‘[Muir] gifts readers gorgeously evocative passages which convey a depth of emotion…Wasted is a haunting read.’
Readings
‘There is no lapse in urgency in Wasted; this conversation is a crucial one to have. Five stars.’
Good Reading
‘Elspeth writes beautifully and honestly, documenting the shocking loss of an older brother, in such heartbreaking circumstances.’
Mamamia
‘Muir sifts through her own tattered consciousness, hunting for what has been lost…She concludes of her brother’s death, “What a waste of a life that was.” Yet by determinedly documenting the drinking culture that coddled him, she has opened vital new lines of enquiry into our duty of care towards drinkers. It’s a tragedy, but now, not entirely a waste.’
Lifted Brow
‘Interweaving brilliant reportage with memoir, Wasted delves into Australia’s complicated relationship with alcohol…Timely and eye-opening.’
Canberra Weekly
‘There is an easy confidence to Muir’s prose, which above all exhibits a perceptive eye for detail…Deeply personal and unflinchingly honest, Muir’s debut book is among the best long-form explorations of how and why some Australians drink alcohol to excess…It is a striking work and among the strongest debut books I have read.’
Australian
‘Rough and raw and evocative…Muir is a talented writer who has blended memoir and journalistic inquiry with aplomb.’
Weekly Times
‘A truly insightful piece of work…Wasted is a vital, poignant piece of social commentary, and is essential reading for every Australian who drinks.’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘A thoughtful, heartbreaking work.’
Overland
‘Elspeth Muir’s memoir begins after her younger brother’s night of heavy drinking culminates with him jumping from a bridge and drowning in the Brisbane River. Her handling of the subject is, by turn, heartbreaking, evocative and, in parts, refreshingly weird, and her assured voice makes this a sobering read.’
Readings, Best Non-Fiction Books of 2016
‘This devastating personal story of loss and grief is also an unflinching examination of the damaging drinking habits of young Australians, and of a society that not only permits, but encourages them.’
Junkee
‘A brave, generous and thought-provoking book.’
Unlikely Bookworm
Liam Pieper
‘Intricately crafted…An intimate portrait of a grieving family and a nation unable to reconcile itself to the harmful effects of its drinking culture…Reminiscent of writers such as Chloe Hooper and Helen Garner…This book will help you think critically and compassionately about those who seek solace in alcohol.’
Books + Publishing
‘The prose style of this unheralded writer…is so achingly beautiful and assured, Helen Garner might be pleased to hand her the keys to the creative nonfiction kingdom and ride off into the Carlton sunset.’
Saturday Paper
‘[Muir] gifts readers gorgeously evocative passages which convey a depth of emotion…Wasted is a haunting read.’
Readings
‘There is no lapse in urgency in Wasted; this conversation is a crucial one to have. Five stars.’
Good Reading
‘Elspeth writes beautifully and honestly, documenting the shocking loss of an older brother, in such heartbreaking circumstances.’
Mamamia
‘Muir sifts through her own tattered consciousness, hunting for what has been lost…She concludes of her brother’s death, “What a waste of a life that was.” Yet by determinedly documenting the drinking culture that coddled him, she has opened vital new lines of enquiry into our duty of care towards drinkers. It’s a tragedy, but now, not entirely a waste.’
Lifted Brow
‘Interweaving brilliant reportage with memoir, Wasted delves into Australia’s complicated relationship with alcohol…Timely and eye-opening.’
Canberra Weekly
‘There is an easy confidence to Muir’s prose, which above all exhibits a perceptive eye for detail…Deeply personal and unflinchingly honest, Muir’s debut book is among the best long-form explorations of how and why some Australians drink alcohol to excess…It is a striking work and among the strongest debut books I have read.’
Australian
‘Rough and raw and evocative…Muir is a talented writer who has blended memoir and journalistic inquiry with aplomb.’
Weekly Times
‘A truly insightful piece of work…Wasted is a vital, poignant piece of social commentary, and is essential reading for every Australian who drinks.’
Sydney Morning Herald
‘A thoughtful, heartbreaking work.’
Overland
‘Elspeth Muir’s memoir begins after her younger brother’s night of heavy drinking culminates with him jumping from a bridge and drowning in the Brisbane River. Her handling of the subject is, by turn, heartbreaking, evocative and, in parts, refreshingly weird, and her assured voice makes this a sobering read.’
Readings, Best Non-Fiction Books of 2016
‘This devastating personal story of loss and grief is also an unflinching examination of the damaging drinking habits of young Australians, and of a society that not only permits, but encourages them.’
Junkee
‘A brave, generous and thought-provoking book.’
Unlikely Bookworm
moonagle's review
5.0
I found her writing beautiful and evocative, especially her insights into grief and loss. I couldn't stop reading.
iamnaomifaye's review
4.0
After Elspeth Muir’s youngest brother Alexander drowned after drunkenly jumping off the Storey Bridge in Brisbane, the writer was forced to question the role alcohol had in his death. Wasted combines creative writing and journalism to explore Australia’s drinking culture, while reflecting on Muir’s own relationship with alcohol. Our drinking culture is so engrained, we often forget how excessive drinking can lead to negative outcomes. Instead of a lecture on the dangers, Muir tackles the drinking debate with balance and humility.