# Michael Robotham & Geordie Williamson review: Steve Toltz/Ben Lerner/Siân Hughes

An episode of [The Bookshelf](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/499762704), 10 Apr 2026, 1 h 01 min.

Audio: https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/jd/Z/43.mp3

Memory, lost conversations and almost-fathers-and sons in Ben Lerner's Transcription; children divided by the throw of a dice, and that's just the start of it, in Steve Toltz's A Rising of the Lights; no such thing as unskilled labour, in Siân Hughes' No Such Thing as Monday, where a woman works as a drycleaner, trying desperately to rid herself of the stains of her childhood; new crime releases, and an Australian in Hollywood is reconsidered. Kate and Cassie with reviewers Michael Robotham and Geordie Williamson. BOOKS Ben Lerner, Transcription, Granta Steve Toltz, A Rising of the Lights, Penguin Siân Hughes, No Such Thing as Monday, Penguin Tana French, The Keeper, Viking Penguin Candice Fox, Redbelly Crossing, Penguin Patricia A. O'Brien, Errol Flynn: The true story of Australia's Hollywood Icon, Allen & Unwin \[Keep scrolling for other books and writers mentioned in the discussion\] GUESTS Michael Robotham is an internationally-acclaimed crime writer whose books include the Joseph O'Loughlan and Evie Cormac series. His latest novel is The White Crow — and his next one, Tell Me Something True, will be his first to be set in Australia Geordie Wiliamson is a literary critic, writer and publisher at Picador, whose books include a critical study of Alexis Wright in the Black Inc Writers on Writers series; and The Burning Library — on neglected Australian writers Other books mentioned in the discussion Karl Ove Knausgård, works Rachel Cusk, works W G Sebald, works Alexander Kluge, works David Foster Wallace, works Jonathan Franzen, works Wallace Stevens, works Les Murray, works Saul Bellow, works Philip Roth, works P D James, works Agatha Christie, works Sam Twyford-Moore, Cast Mates: Australian Actors in Hollywood and at Home CREDITS • Presenters: Kate Evans and Cassie McCullagh • Producers: Kate Evans, Sarah Corbett, Tracey Trompf • Sound Engineers: Craig Tilmouth, Roi Huberman • A/ Arts Editor: Sarah Corbett

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