"Shades of
Jack Kerouac's
On the Road ...
truly evocative
writing."
– Sydney Morning Herald
"A beautifully elegiac reminiscence of that glorious time between finishing high school
and finding a place
in life … An auspicious
debut novel"
– Magpies
The Lucky Ones
by Tohby Riddle
[a YA novel published by Penguin Books Australia]Set in 1980s inner-city Sydney, The Lucky Ones follows maverick teen Tom as he tries to find his way in the world after school. The novel reveals in poignant and hilarious ways the workings of a young male mind – with all its misplaced romanticism, youthful delusions, bewilderment about girls and need for adventure.
But at the heart of the novel is Tom's close friendship with fellow school leaver Cain, a compelling enigma who becomes increasingly unpredictable as he follows his impulses down a path towards self destruction.
Reviews
Print:
Sydney Morning Herald; Sun Herald; West Australian;
Newcastle Herald; Gold Coast Bulletin (includes interview);
Adelaide Advertiser; Magpies (a longer, literature journal review);
Reading Time (review journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia)
Online:
Readings (independent bookseller review);
Look at that Book (teenage girl blogger review of The Lucky Ones);
WA Department of Education (CMIS Resource Bank);
Read Plus (review resource for teachers and librarians)
School reviews:
Gold Creek School (15-year-old boy);
Smiths Hill HS (13-year-old girl)
To buy
To buy a copy of The Lucky Ones online, try Melbourne's Readings or Sydney's Gleebooks. They ship worldwide.
Interview/articles
This interview with Tohby Riddle was conducted by The Little Bookroom.
This article about writing The Lucky Ones was written Tohby Riddle for Reading Time.
Resources
Teaching Notes on The Lucky Ones (PDF)
Recent pic of Tohby Riddle, away from his attic desk
This page is periodically updated ...
Extras
"Facts come from factories"Some quotes from Tom of The Lucky Ones
Tom, the teen narrator of The Lucky Ones, has his own particular
take on things. Here are a few sample quotes from The Lucky Ones:"You don’t always wanna know what you know.”
"Maybe relationships are a bit like jokes – if you have to explain them too much, they're probably not working.”
"How can you trust someone who uses the word ‘notion’ a lot?”
"And all the while this thought, like a little bird of sadness in me, that these perfect moments pass and may never come this way again. And me not quite knowing what to do about that.”
"You can get vertigo from what you see inside yourself too.”
"Maybe a legend is always going to be greater than the real thing. Like what if you met God and he had bad breath and told long-winded stories with no point to them – and said things like 'orf' instead of 'off'?"
"Sometimes clouds do the weirdest things. They work themselves up into colossal blooms that tower over the horizon, silently boiling and billowing ever higher into the blue – mountainous white landscapes that call you to explore them. Yet as you try to get a fix on their forms, something about them always eludes you. Like your eyes have as much chance of catching hold of them as your hands. So you just keep looking, with wonder and awe, trying to make sense of them. But before you can, they change. And they go.
Gone."
Songs to Remember
Tom's compilation tape for Kara ...
A compilation tape I’d given Kara a few weeks before was playing in her car. It was a good one. I’d spent hours on it, hoping she’d think of me when she played it, and – impressed by the genius choice of excellent songs – conclude that I was special and amazing.
'That’s so sweet of you, Tom,' she’d said when I’d given it to her.
Tuxedomoon’s 'Desire' ended as we entered the Cross. Scritti Politti’s 'The Sweetest Girl' came on.– extract from page 81 of The Lucky Ones
Click on any song on the cassette cover
to hear it on YouTube ...
The songs
Many of these songs or artists are mentioned in the novel.“Pale Blue Eyes” by The Velvet Underground
Off their 1969 self-titled third album.
“Desire” by Tuxedomoon
Title track off Tuxedomoon's 1981 second album.
“Sweetest Girl” by Scritti Politti
The song closes their first album, Songs to Remember (1982).
“Hot on the Heels of Love” by Throbbing Gristle
From Throbbing Gristle's 1979 album 20 Jazz Funk Greats.
“The Modern Dance” by Pere Ubu
Title track off their 1978 album The Modern Dance
“Second Language” by Tactics
From Tactics' Australian post-punk-era album My Houdini (1981)
“You, the Night and the Music” by Tones on Tail
Off their 1983 Burning Skies EP. Tones on Tail was a side project
of Daniel Ash, lead singer of gothic pioneers Bauhaus.
“Logic” by Logic System
From Japanese ensemble Logic System, off their self-titled
1981 debut album.
“If You Want me to Stay” by Sly and the Family Stone
Off their 1973 album Fresh.
“This Is not a Love Song” by PIL
1983 single of Public Image Ltd.
“Isolation” by Joy Division
Off their 1980 album Closer.
“I Want You” by Bob Dylan
Off the 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.
“You Need a Friend” by The Sunnyboys
Off their second album Individuals (1982).
“Blind Dumb Deaf” by Cocteau Twins
From the Cocteau Twins first album Garlands (1982).
The bridge ...
Some of the action in The Lucky Ones is set on Sydney Harbour Bridge, though mostly in the wee hours. For an excellent daytime panoramic experience of the bridge go here. Actually, this one's really good as well – almost vertigo-inducing, and with moody weather too.
