Creative Writing for Beginners

A Novel

by Colin Batrouney

Joel is a charming drifter who finds his moorings in the world of books. He strikes up an unlikely friendship while attending a creative writing class, but as he opens up painful memories come flooding back. Meanwhile his flatmate, a budding actress named Nomee, battles her own demons after being cast in a dream role. Will her fears, like those of her character, doom her to failure and regret?

Creative Writing for Beginners is an absorbing novel exploring love, creativity and ego. Crafted with intelligence and poise, it also celebrates the redemptive power of fiction.

‘A remarkable novel, assured and confident. Batrouney’s writing kept surprising me, kept me soaring as I read. I think it compelling, I think it tender and alive!’Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap

‘Batrouney writes with skill and a flair for nuance, and delivers the novel’s dramatic denouement with an understated touch.’ Bookseller+Publisher

‘The narrative itself is rather Chekhovian – it deliberately ambles and focuses on the mundane. Batrouney’s prose, meanwhile, is highly lyrical and demands a slowed pace to fully appreciate. It’s full of those flickering moments of inspiration that hit us all, but which only a gifted few can crystalise into prose. Batrouney is one of those enviable few.’ Readings