Like a House on Fire (short story collection)
 | |
| Author | Cate Kennedy |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Scribe |
Publication date | 26 September 2012 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 288 |
| Awards | Steele Rudd Award |
| ISBN | 9781922070067 |
Like a House on Fire is a 2012 collection of fifteen short stories by Australian author Cate Kennedy.[1][2] The collection was the winner of the 2013 Steele Rudd Award at the Queensland Literary Awards and was shortlisted for the Nita Kibble Literary Award and the Stella Prize.[3][4][5]
Reception
Like a House on Fire received positive reviews. In a review in Australian Book Review, Anthony Lynch praised the realism of Kennedy's stories and wrote that her "subtle, insightful renderings of character achieve great poignancy".[2] In the New Zealand Herald, John McCrystal wrote that the collection was "short fiction at its best".[6] Meg Whelan gave the collection 4 out of 5 stars in a review for Books+Publishing magazine, describing it as a "heartfelt and moving collection" and praising Kennedy's "evocative prose".[7] Reviewers praised the stories Seventy-two Derwents, told from the perspective of a child witnessing her mother's abusive relationship, and Laminex and Mirrors, a story about a hospital cleaner who helps an elderly patient to defy the hospital's rules.[2][6][7]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Queensland Literary Awards | Steele Rudd Award | Won | [3] |
| Stella Prize | — | Shortlisted | [5][8] | |
| Nita Kibble Literary Awards | — | Shortlisted | [4] | |
| ALS Gold Medal | — | Longlisted | [9] |
References
- ^ "Like a House on Fire". Scribe. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Lynch, Anthony (November 2012). "Anthony Lynch reviews Like a House on Fire by Cate Kennedy". Australian Book Review. No. 346. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b Bochenski, Natalie (3 September 2013). "Women dominate Queensland Literary Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b Morris, Linda (25 July 2013). "Kibble award for author after memoir takes on a life of its own". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Like a House on Fire – Cate Kennedy". Stella Prize. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b McCrystal, John (9 February 2013). "Book Review: Like A House On Fire". NZ Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b Whelan, Meg (September 2012). "Review: Like a House on Fire". Bookseller+Publisher. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Lea, Bronwyn (17 April 2013). "Carrie Tiffany wins a Stella Prize of her own". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "ALS Gold Medal longlist announced". Books+Publishing. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2025.