How to Shame the Devil
Author(s): Ros Thomas
Her silence did not mean yes.
Art Lambkin, newly confined to a nursing home, is terrified of being erased from the outside world. Determined to remain relevant, he engages in a correspondent’s war on the Letters Page of his daily newspaper, pitting his acerbic wit against a rogue gallery of bigots, windbags and egomaniacs. But when a woman surfaces from Art’s long-ago past, he soon becomes the villain in a scandal that threatens to destroy everything—and everyone—he knows.
Jane's review:
From the outset, Ros Thomas’s debut novella endears us to its protagonist Art Lambkin through her skilful use of humour and wit. A successful radio ad man back in the 80s with an abundance of friends and people who looked up to him, Art now finds himself confined to a nursing home in the early stages of a Parkinson’s diagnosis, living out his remaining days penning letters to the editor of the daily newspaper competing for space with a handful of other correspondents.
When something from Art’s past challenges his memory of events, it forces him to re-examine history. Like the TV series Mad Men, being viewed through a 2021 lens, this novella shines a light on the ugly side of male ego.
It is hard to believe this is a debut, but I suspect Ros Thomas’s 25 years as a journalist has armed her well for this and I look forward to reading more from her in years to come.
Product Information
Ros Thomas’s writing is startlingly funny, revealing and profoundly genuine –
she has the full writer’s arsenal.’
—Robert Drewe
‘Clever, entertaining, beautifully crafted, disturbing and full of humanity. An original take on the #MeToo phenomenon, with the wonderful Ros Thomas at her most witty and compelling.’
—Will Yeoman, The West Australian
‘Ros Thomas writes with stylistic flair, a deft sense of humour, a vivid sense of time and place, and a generous, compassionate heart.’
—Susan Midalia, author
Ros Thomas grew up in Perth. After graduating from the University of Western Australia with an Arts Degree in Literature and Psychology she began a cadetship in radio news, moving into television the following year. After a twenty-year career in national and international current affairs, Ros became a long-running weekend columnist for The West Australian Newspaper with a devoted readership of 850,000 each week.
Outside of writing, she’s an ambassador for Alzheimer's WA, the Deputy Chair for Carers Advisory Council, has a piece of paper somewhere that says Arts Degree in Literature and Psychology, and lives with her three children and husband, who affectionately calls her ‘The Minister of War.’ But you can call her Ros.
General Fields
- :
- : Night Parrot Press
- : Night Parrot Press
- : 01 November 2021
- : books
Special Fields
- : Paperback
- : Ros Thomas