Abstract
This submission is in two parts. The first, an exegesis, sets my creative work in a literary, stylistic and social context. The second and main part of this submission is the first draft of a novel, "Sleep, Sister," which I have written over the course of the last year.
The exegesis explores issues such as the history of the road novel, alienation and loneliness within society, and in particular within families. It also discusses the novel as a coming of age story, with its main characters being members of Generation X, those born between 1960 -1980. This was the first generation of New Zealand children for whom divorced parents and blended families were common experiences.
The exegesis also describes how the themes of the story have informed the style, narrative and characterisation of the book. It concludes with the main question of the novel; whether the two main characters – sisters – can overcome their damaging past.
The novel is set in New Zealand, predominantly in the year 1987, although there are flashbacks to the girls’ 1970s childhood. It is written mainly in the present tense and with shifting points of view.
