In the opening chapter of Tim Winton’s new collection of stories and essays, he recalls how, as a child, he would grab his parent’s gun when they were out of the house and aim it secretly at his unwitting neighbours: “Anything could have happened, none of it good. And just in time … before anything irreparable could come of this impulse, I found words.” In The Boy Behind the Curtain, the award-winning novelist delivers some of his most personal writing to date. There are stories about near-fatal road accidents, childhood viewings of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the energising pleasures of surfing. Interspersed with these autobiographical tales are essays on some of Winton’s lifelong preoccupations: environmental issues, class, immigration and the purpose of art. In one, he describes with searing candour the self-criticism and despair of the creative writer. Eclectic and impassioned, it is a collection that affirms the power of the written word and Winton’s mastery of it.
• The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton is published by Picador (£16.99). To order a copy for £14.44 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
