He wants everything. The literary accolades, the story, the scoop, the next big publishing hit but it seems forever out of his reach. Until one day, after a leisurely swim, he spies a famous author who seemingly vanished from the public eye. What starts as a small lie, grows into a succession of betrayals until he begins to wonder what is true and whose story is he actually telling?
Dominic Amerena’s debut novel, I Want Everything, is a sharp, darkly comic, perfectly polished story about the ethics of identity and storytelling. At its heart lies an unnamed protagonist who appears rather pathetic but incites sympathy from the reader as we witness his stagnant relationships. He even envies his partner, Ruth, for being mildly more successful in her writing career in comparison and he believes the only way out is to continue weaving a web of lies.
The reclusive author, Brenda Shales, appears to be a frail old woman who was well known for tapping “into the racial unconscious of white Australia; she was the mouthpiece for a nation of guilt-ridden repressives.” It’s easy to think Shales is now a silly older woman, yet as the novel unfolds it appears she is brimming with insight and intelligence. As it transpires, the protagonist is not as cunning as he may seem.
Amerena employs dual narration through the perspective of the male protagonist, who remains unnamed throughout the novel and Brenda Shales, the literary superstar from years gone by. The two perspectives contrast starkly, Shales’ confidence compared to the protagonist’s pitiable disposition. Amerena also omits quotation marks instead using dashes to indicate speech, which blurs the lines between narratives. Normally, I’m not a fan of dialogue without direct quotations but Amerena uses this fluidly to construct a story with unclear truths.
I Want Everything is a stunning debut – thoughtful, funny and sometimes uncomfortable, allowing the reader to question the morality of storytelling. It is a tale of daring ambition and serves an inquest into darker corners of the human psyche. Amerena has carefully constructed an interesting plot, with complex characters and a narrative which keeps you guessing what will happen next.
Rating: 4/5
Purchase a copy of I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena here.
Read more of our Book Reviews here.
