Just finished reading The Thompson Gunner by Nick Earls.

I love Nick’s novels and for the most part I was satisfied by this. It had funny moments (a Nick Earls trademark). The shifting time zones which increasingly overlapped was brilliantly written. You could really see Meg (the lead character) losing the plot as more of her story came out.

However, I found some of the Northern Ireland happenings a bit of a stretch. Would an 8 year old really be included by people storing / moving weapons? I know Nick came from Northern Ireland himself at the same age that Meg does in the novel and I’ve never lived there, so it could be that it was like that, but it didn’t quite ring true to me.

That aside, the rest of the novel was great, especially the shifting timezones and the feel of what it’s like to go on a long tour (obviously based on his own experiences as an author).

I was also intrigued by the reference to a writer partnering Mal Meninga in the celebrity canoe race - that was Nick Earls himself. At least Nick Earls has indeed partnered Mal Meninga in a celebrity canoe race.

Anyway, it was a good read, but could have been better.