Pic by Wayne Harrington Southerly Magazine Jon Doust’s Return Ticket continues the journey of Jack Muir from a private boarding school in Perth to the New Guinea Highlands and now on board a passenger ship heading for Durban, South Africa. Jack’s journey is bookmarked by washing up ─ hands thrust into hot water, raw skin, … Continue reading A master class in kitchen organisation
Another friend’s review
Return Ticket, the final novel in Jon Doust's semi-autobiographical trilogy, is an unexpectedly satisfying read. Unexpected, because there was no certainty that there would be any kind of homecoming at all for the Jack Muir whose wild exploits as a troubled young man we followed through its predecessor To The Highlands. Not surprisingly, that middle … Continue reading Another friend’s review
Two wise men
Whenever authors release a new novel, my guess is there are always one or two individuals they would like to read the work, above all other readers. In my case, there were two, who, unfortunately, have both left us. The first was my father, Stan Doust, an avid reader, who once said to me: “Sometimes … Continue reading Two wise men
2020 the year of the book
Great year to release a book, she said. I laughed. I needed a laugh. Clearly, it is not a year for book releases – no launches, no public appearances, no signings. Doesn’t matter if it was the best book you ever wrote, the one to get you in the literary hall of fame. Anyway, there … Continue reading 2020 the year of the book
Debunking a myth
An extract set in Cape Town SA
A brief reading from Jack's time in Cape Town.Click anywhere above to get to YouTube.
A friend’s review
Charlie Leman honoured me with a chat at the launch of the second in the Jack Muir trilogy, To the Highlands. I asked him to attend the launch because he had spent time in Papua New Guinea. He spoke well of that book and now he has honoured this one. I’ve not been to Africa, … Continue reading A friend’s review
The year of the book
Great year to release a book, she said. I laughed. I needed a laugh. Clearly, it is not a year for book releases – no launches, no public appearances, no signings. Doesn’t matter if it was the best book you ever wrote, the one to get you in the literary hall of fame. Anyway, there … Continue reading The year of the book
National Library of Australia – Trove
Return ticket / Jon Doust. Author Doust, Jon, (author.) Published Fremantle, WA : Fremantle Press, 2020. Copyright ©2020. Content Types text Carrier Types volume Physical Description 261 pages ; 21 cm. Series One boy's journey to man ; 3Doust, Jon. One boy's journey to man ; 3. Subjects Male friendship -- Fiction.Australian fiction.Hitchhiking -- South … Continue reading National Library of Australia – Trove
An excerpt from Return Ticket, featuring Jack Muir as an old man
Plus a bit from Alan Kohler, The Weekend Australian 28/3/2020 I am old now, but I find myself returning to socialism, not the socialism of the totalitarian states, Stalin’s USSR, Mao’s China, Ceausescu’s Romania, Tito’s Yugoslavia, but the socialism of the kibbutz, where everyone gave according to their ability and received according to their need. … Continue reading An excerpt from Return Ticket, featuring Jack Muir as an old man