A swimming prodigy fails to realise his potential in this deeply involving follow-up to the The Slap
Christos Tsiolkas investigates shame in his new novel, Barracuda. Photograph: Colin McPherson/Corbis
Tsiolkas, author of The Slap – the bestseller that took the lid off middle-class Australia – addresses success and failure in his follow-up book.
Protagonist Danny Kelly – a name that nods both to outlaw Ned Kelly as well as Roald Dahl's champion of the world – is a swimmer first and foremost; his strength and power in the pool are the reason he has gained a scholarship to "Cunts' College", as it is known throughout the book. His talent is all he has to protect himself against the "golden boys", the faceless privileged who would never want a "wog" like Danny – half Greek, half Scottish – in their midst. With the help of coach Frank Torma, he makes winning his motto, the "Barracuda" of the title always straining to thrash the competition. Next stop, the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Except it isn't. Through flash-forwards to 2010, it is clear that Danny's life is not that of a champion; the gilded future he imagined for himself was a mirage. Dan – plain Dan, now – is working with disabled people who are coming to terms with traumatic events (much like, it is hinted, Danny); he has been in prison; he tells his Glaswegian boyfriend he "can't swim". Slowly, the book moves towards what happens when a life whose sole aim is sporting victory is thwarted – and it's not pretty. The set piece, which details "Psycho Dan's" nadir against the background of the Sydney Olympics, should be read from behind splayed fingers
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Protagonist Danny Kelly – a name that nods both to outlaw Ned Kelly as well as Roald Dahl's champion of the world – is a swimmer first and foremost; his strength and power in the pool are the reason he has gained a scholarship to "Cunts' College", as it is known throughout the book. His talent is all he has to protect himself against the "golden boys", the faceless privileged who would never want a "wog" like Danny – half Greek, half Scottish – in their midst. With the help of coach Frank Torma, he makes winning his motto, the "Barracuda" of the title always straining to thrash the competition. Next stop, the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.Except it isn't. Through flash-forwards to 2010, it is clear that Danny's life is not that of a champion; the gilded future he imagined for himself was a mirage. Dan – plain Dan, now – is working with disabled people who are coming to terms with traumatic events (much like, it is hinted, Danny); he has been in prison; he tells his Glaswegian boyfriend he "can't swim". Slowly, the book moves towards what happens when a life whose sole aim is sporting victory is thwarted – and it's not pretty. The set piece, which details "Psycho Dan's" nadir against the background of the Sydney Olympics, should be read from behind splayed fingers
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