Book: The Unknown Terrorist

Author: Richard Flanagan

Synopsis: Pole dancer, ‘The Doll’, is just trying to set herself up with a better life, but is inadvertently caught up and put in the centre of a terrorist plot in Sydney. She becomes the focus of the nation as facts are twisted and discarded in the quest for a good news story and the means for political ends.

Review: A classic tale of a person’s struggle to prove their innocence - in this story against the backdrop of terrorism paranoia. Unfortunately, this tale is somewhat not entirely fiction in recent Australian history (a la Mohamed Haneef) and the role of the media and authorities is not entirely unbelievable. At times the media snippets and overheard conversations are not convincingly ‘Australian’ – although who knows how Sydney-siders would react. A good commentary about our obsession with consumerism, money, and fear. With the GFC now overshadowing terrorism it feels a bit outdated – but a good reflection of Australia at the beginning of this century.

A related OMG, head-shaking moment.

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