Monkey Grip

2026
Written By Katherine Brown

May 2026

Monkey Grip by Helen Garner

In 1970s Melbourne, Nora is a happy woman.

She is happy moving between the city's communal households, with her little daughter. Happy with days spent at the public pool, and nights spent dancing and drinking and talking and smoking and loving freely.

But then Nora meets Javo. Javo, with his crooked, wrecked, wild face and his violently blue eyes. And soon she is trapped in the monkey grip of his drug addiction and her own obsessive love for him.

On its first publication in 1977, Monkey Grip was both a sensation and a lightning rod due to its frank portrayal of the lives of Garner's generation. Now a modern classic, it introduces us to Helen Garner's dazzling and radical literary voice.

 

Discussion Resources:

Print Reviews:

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New York Times

New Yorker

NPR

London Review of Books

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Katherine Brown

I’m a Canadian living in the United Kingdom - London to be exact. I’m a business person with an eye for modern design. I’m a customer marketer who thinks like a customer. I’m a design thinker who also happens to be a designer.

I’ve worked at senior marketing levels in large corporations like American Express and Sky TV. I’ve worked agency side, leading digital client accounts. I’ve been part of several start-ups, sat on Angel Investing teams and run my own design and print studio.

In 2021, I started Ascender Creative to help small businesses with big plans build their online credibility and create better customer connections. I do this by taping into my 20+ years of business experience mixing it with a strong customer focus and a big dose of creativity.

https://www.ascendercreative.com
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