Review of 'The Intepreter' by Amanda Lohrey

®eview of 'The Interpreter' by Amanda Lohrey (editor of "The Best Australian Stories 2014"):

"Kate Elkington's story is remarkable for its skill in conveying a great deal in relatively few words. The main character is employed as an interpreter in an Australian refugee detention centre and through her reflections on the slipperiness of language, and the often untranslate-able dimensions of another's experience, we are reminded of the dangers of our own presumption when we attempt to label others, and the care with which we must approach the other before passing judgement.

In fiction the writer's good intentions are not enough; the writer's technical skill must enlarge our understanding on the intellectual plane as well as appealing to our sympathies. Kate Elkington's story is a superb example of getting it right on both counts."

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