MARK BRANDI

Stories of my life

The 41-year-old author’s 2017 debut, Wimmera, won a host of awards and became a bestseller. With his new novel, The Rip, out now, Brandi tells WHO about the book that …

… he first remembers reading Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. We had a sheep farm when I was a kid, so foxes were an obvious enemy. But I was (very secretly) on their side. I still love it. … he loved as a teenager Anything and everything by Stephen King. One of my brothers was a fan, so I used to “borrow” from his bookshelf. King is a fantastic storyteller, and I thoroughly enjoy being terrified. … has inspired him Hard to pick just one, but Albert Camus’ The Stranger was a particular influence on my first novel – he poses important philosophical questions with elegance and brevity. … made a good holiday read On a recent trip, I loved Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. It’s a stunning, lyrical tale of a woman’s journey to collect her boyfriend from prison. Not as gloomy as it sounds, I promise! … he would love to have written The Road by Cormac Mccarthy connected with something deep inside me – it was terrifying and deeply affecting. … he has just released The voice of the narrator in The Rip, a homeless woman, came to me first – I had no firm idea where the story would lead, where she would take me. She’s joined the boys from Wimmera (Fab and Ben), and I’m not sure any of them will ever let me go.