Review: Prudish Nation by Paul Dalgarno

Is Australia, the land of laid back culture actually well, a little bit (or a lot) prudish? That is the question at the heart of Paul Dalgarno's latest work Prudish Nation. Dalgarno seeks to answer the question by interviewing thirty Australian authors, writers and thinkers many of whom are in relationships that would be considered 'unconventional' by contemporary Australian standards. The author also draws on his own experiences of being in an openly non-monogamous relationship and authoring a novel about a similar but-not-really-all-that-similar non-monogamous relationship.

Prudish Nation makes for interesting reading. Each person interviewed has different experiences and different perspectives that they are able to add to the narrative. Rather than the voices cancelling one another out, Dalgarno deftly uses it to show that everyone is an individual, their experiences unique and their perspectives valid. And obviously it questions whether in such a diverse world if acknowledging that would be helpful rather than trying to shoehorn people in to something that simply does not fit.

I enjoyed this one for its range of perspectives and the questions raised.

Thoughtful and insightful.

Recommended.

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