This book is dividing the people I know who are reading it into those who love it and those who don't, and this is a good sign, I reckon. It's an interesting scenario - Flanagan, one of Australia's foremost literary novelists, has here written what has been described as a thriller in the blockbuster sense. In it, he manages to undress the politics of Australia. If you support the recent anti-terrorism laws that have been fanned by the paranoia of media-fuelled conservatism this book will probably annoy you. If, on the other hand, you are interested in what could potentially happen to an innocent person caught up in anti-terrorist hysteria, you'll find The Unknown Terrorist riveting. Personally, I applaud Richard Flanagan for writing it.
Chris Grierson is from Readings Port Melbourne.
