Novelist Steve Matthews will be talking about his new novel, The Skinny Girl, a fictionalised true story about domestic abuse, at the Armidale Library this afternoon, December 12, at 4.30pm.
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The thought-provoking novel about a victim of emotional abuse highlights how attitudes and values shape perceptions of what is acceptable in relationships; how culture contributes to domestic violence; and how stories of silence must, in the end, be told.
Matthews is donating all proceeds from The Skinny Girl, in perpetuity, to the Homicide Victims Support Group and other organisations involved in similar work.
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Frightening statistics about domestic violence and abuse regularly appear in the media. Thanks to his long-time association with the Homicide Victims Support Group, Mr Matthews knows there are some statistics that are not recorded. By extension, there are stories of silence that not only deserve to be told but that must be told.
The suspenseful Skinny Girl chronicles how shy, petite Daisy Croucher lives in other people’s shadows, and is practically invisible, even in her own family.
No wonder Daisy is surprised and flattered when, hounded into meeting her officemates for a drink after work one night, popular pub local Jeff Singleton looks her way. “Skinny Minnie,” he dubs her. Jeff has always lived by a golden rule when it comes to women—never keep one for more than thirty days. For some reason, Daisy is an exception.
Jeff’s a bit rough and more than a little uncouth, but Daisy overlooks his flaws. He’s interested in her, after all. Life with him might be a roller-coaster ride, but once they’re married, things will smooth out and they’ll build a life together.
Unfortunately, Daisy soon discovers otherwise. Her marriage holds awful secrets that she can’t imagine revealing or escaping, especially once her two precious daughters are born.
Offering insight into how place and culture contribute to domestic violence, how some women are set up to accept physical and emotional abuse without recognizing it for what it is, and why those who are abused often find it so hard to leave their relationships, the novel highlights red flags that foreshadow the potential for abuse.
Matthews comments: “Many people assume that victims of domestic violence and abuse are identified by their black eyes or broken arms. The Skinny Girl allows readers to walk a mile in Daisy’s shoes. The question is, can she step out of the shadows, value herself, and shine?”
Steve Matthews was born in the UK in 1953, and migrated to Australia in 1985. At age 55, he sold his business interests to fulfill a lifetime’s ambition to write. Since then, Steve’s acclaimed children’s books have been published in Australia, the UK, Canada, and the U.S. His work in children’s literacy at home and abroad (India and South Africa) has been acknowledged in the Australian Parliament. The Skinny Girl is Steve’s first adult fiction novel. He now writes full time from a 90-year-old cottage on the grounds of a beautiful farm he shares with his wife Diane and a variety of animals outside Sydney.
