My Second Review

Reviewed by Dot Withington (Reviewer for Brisbane Courier)

A Synthetic Illusion

By Christian Clarke

Christian Clarke captures the essence of the Melbourne drug and sex scene in his novel A Synthetic Illusion. The grittiness of the detail suggests the author has had some first-hand experience.

Clarke’s protagonist, Mick, has spent his entire working life successfully managing restaurants in Melbourne. He runs a tight ship, so although he is often feared by his staff, he has the wide respect of his patrons.

Mick’s Greek immigrant parents cleverly navigated him into the hospitality industry at an early age, by giving him the responsibility of managing the family restaurant while they returned to Greece for an extended holiday.

So, when he is forced to take some time off work for a leg operation at the age of 40, Mick finds he enjoys the quiet life.  He hears about a job as a driver for an escort agency and jumps at the chance to earn some easy money. 

Mick soon befriends the receptionists, the working girls and even the hard-nosed owners of the agency and quickly becomes absorbed in a world of fashion, sex and drugs. The obscene language and explicit sexual details adds to the rawness of the story. 

As Mick slides ever deeper into the sordid industry, constantly making concessions to his Greek upbringing, readers are left frustrated by his bad decisions and yet intrigued by how someone can be so blind to their own demise.  

“Maybe it was his mid-life crisis. Some buy a sports car, some get a divorce or go on a trip to find themselves, but Mick became a coke-whore.”

Clarke skilfully includes the stories of the other escorts and what led them to the business, which Mick himself refers to as ‘the boulevard of broken dreams’.

A Synthetic Illusion gives a glimpse of the seedier side of Melbourne and emphasises how addiction can ruin your life.

Dot Whittington

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