Donkey Drop - Paperback

by Stephen Tarulli (Author)

Shortlisted for the Australian/Vogel's Literary Award

It's 1999. High school dropout Joel is drifting through suburban dead-ends with a mum who drinks away her past and calls him 'pathetic' so often he starts to believe her. With little else to do but hang out with his stoner best mate, Joel takes an apprenticeship at Hannells Panels, where he learns more than just how to fix car wrecks.

Joel looks up to his smooth-talking foreman and soon finds himself caught up in the shop's dodgy dealings. For a while, he sees himself differently. But getting high is still his way of keeping his troubles at bay, and his new, misguided sense of worth only steers him further off course.

As his relationships break down, Joel faces the uneasy truth about the person he's becoming.