Susan Johnson, author of Life in Seven Mistakes, is interviewed by Jane Sullivan for "The Age".
Her work has been acclaimed, shortlisted for many awards, published in Australia, the US, Europe and Britain. Yet she feels underappreciated, especially in her own country [snip] The problem, as Johnson sees it, is that she writes the kind of book (literary but also accessible) that is not recognised or rewarded by the Australian literary community."In the US, there's a greater community of writers like me: Anne Tyler, Ann Patchett, Geraldine Brooks, even Jonathan Franzen. But here, there isn't the critical support for my kind of writing, it's almost not taken seriously, and I'm becoming very aware of that at my age."
So she's relieved and delighted that her new novel, Life in Seven Mistakes, has had a good reception in Australia. "I'm really thrilled that this time I've had new young reviewers who seem to get it."
