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A review by textpublishing
Room for a Stranger by Melanie Cheng
The following reviews are shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Room for a Stranger
'A tender and touching novel written with a sharp understanding of human nature.’
Who Weekly
'A smart read that highlights the joy of human relationships.’
Instyle
'Room for a Stranger touches gently on the lives of ordinary people with great dexterity and empathy.’
Harpers Bazaar
‘Combining these unlikely characters brings up social issues such as racism, how the elderly are perceived and valued, mental illness, and parental pressure. With such rich characterisation and beautiful prose, this is a wonderful, contemporary Australian novel.’
Readings
‘Melanie Cheng is doing the most difficult, most unfashionable thing: writing about the ordinary lives of ordinary people. Her accomplishment is catching the tremors of their uniqueness and, by underlining this, insisting that everyone is interesting. Being human is in itself extraordinary…This is an impressive and quietly significant book.’
Monthly
'Those who enjoyed Cheng’s award-winning short story collection Australia Day will recognise similar themes at play here: the casual racism of white Australia, the human need to belong, and the complexity and compromise inherent in family relationships. Room for a Stranger is an impressive and delicately crafted novel from one of Australia’s most talented new voices.’
Books + Publishing (starred review)
‘This is a book with great heart and its gentle unfurling of Meg and Andy’s friendship, as well as the nuances of their characters, takes place with empathy and skill. Cheng’s real gift as a writer is in this kind of portraiture, in no small part because of her commitment to writing about people who aren’t often centred in our stories. Room for a Stranger is a tender and moving book and one that is ultimately life-affirming and full of hope and kindness.’
Saturday Paper
‘I can’t think of anyone who writes human connection as beautifully as Melanie Cheng. Room for a Stranger is superb.’
Bram Presser
‘My god, this was a joy to read. Every year there’s an Australian novel everyone endlessly passes around and recommends because they bloody love it so much, and this is going to be 2019’s. Room for a Stranger explores the high stakes of quiet moments, reveals the beauty of unlikely connections and shows how the antidote to shame is always compassion. After reading this impossible-to-put-down novel, Melanie Cheng is quickly becoming my favourite Australian writer.’
Benjamin Law
‘A beautifully written novel about how the stories we tell ourselves can get us stuck and how opening our lives to others might jolt us free again. Room for a Stranger is that rare thing: a novel which stings and soothes all at once.’
Emily Maguire
‘Cheng is a writer of quiet emotion and empathy, who carves out the fine details of her characters’ lives with tender but unsentimental precision...Room For A Stranger is a contemplative and rewarding read that shines a light on our potential for connection.'
Books+Publishing
'A quiet but deeply affecting account of an unlikely friendship.’
Good Weekend
'This scrupulously written, compassionate novel delivers a surprisingly powerful emotional punch as the two characters tentatively negotiate their lives together in today’s city.’
Jason Steger, Age
‘The winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction (2018), Melanie Cheng offers up a tender tale of an elderly Australian woman who takes in a boarder.’
Primer
'A tender and touching novel written with a sharp understanding of human nature.’
Who Weekly
'A smart read that highlights the joy of human relationships.’
Instyle
'Room for a Stranger touches gently on the lives of ordinary people with great dexterity and empathy.’
Harpers Bazaar
‘Combining these unlikely characters brings up social issues such as racism, how the elderly are perceived and valued, mental illness, and parental pressure. With such rich characterisation and beautiful prose, this is a wonderful, contemporary Australian novel.’
Readings
‘Melanie Cheng is doing the most difficult, most unfashionable thing: writing about the ordinary lives of ordinary people. Her accomplishment is catching the tremors of their uniqueness and, by underlining this, insisting that everyone is interesting. Being human is in itself extraordinary…This is an impressive and quietly significant book.’
Monthly
'Those who enjoyed Cheng’s award-winning short story collection Australia Day will recognise similar themes at play here: the casual racism of white Australia, the human need to belong, and the complexity and compromise inherent in family relationships. Room for a Stranger is an impressive and delicately crafted novel from one of Australia’s most talented new voices.’
Books + Publishing (starred review)
‘This is a book with great heart and its gentle unfurling of Meg and Andy’s friendship, as well as the nuances of their characters, takes place with empathy and skill. Cheng’s real gift as a writer is in this kind of portraiture, in no small part because of her commitment to writing about people who aren’t often centred in our stories. Room for a Stranger is a tender and moving book and one that is ultimately life-affirming and full of hope and kindness.’
Saturday Paper
‘I can’t think of anyone who writes human connection as beautifully as Melanie Cheng. Room for a Stranger is superb.’
Bram Presser
‘My god, this was a joy to read. Every year there’s an Australian novel everyone endlessly passes around and recommends because they bloody love it so much, and this is going to be 2019’s. Room for a Stranger explores the high stakes of quiet moments, reveals the beauty of unlikely connections and shows how the antidote to shame is always compassion. After reading this impossible-to-put-down novel, Melanie Cheng is quickly becoming my favourite Australian writer.’
Benjamin Law
‘A beautifully written novel about how the stories we tell ourselves can get us stuck and how opening our lives to others might jolt us free again. Room for a Stranger is that rare thing: a novel which stings and soothes all at once.’
Emily Maguire
‘Cheng is a writer of quiet emotion and empathy, who carves out the fine details of her characters’ lives with tender but unsentimental precision...Room For A Stranger is a contemplative and rewarding read that shines a light on our potential for connection.'
Books+Publishing
'A quiet but deeply affecting account of an unlikely friendship.’
Good Weekend
'This scrupulously written, compassionate novel delivers a surprisingly powerful emotional punch as the two characters tentatively negotiate their lives together in today’s city.’
Jason Steger, Age
‘The winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction (2018), Melanie Cheng offers up a tender tale of an elderly Australian woman who takes in a boarder.’
Primer