Nick Earls seems to be the designated story teller for Australia’s forgotten men. Since the debut of 28-year-old Richard Derrington in Zigzag Street, Earls has explored the lives of urban males in various states of personal and emotional chaos.

The True Story of Butterfish continues in this tradition, but with some notable changes in style and tone. Curtis Holland is a burnt-out rock star in his mid-thirties. He’s back in Brisbane, hoping to recover while producing albums in his backyard studio. He hadn’t counted on his neighbours, however, and is particularly torn by 16-year-old Annaliese Winter, a confusing mix of sexually awake adult and doting teenager.

In Curtis, Earls has created a wiser, more fleshed-out character than in his earlier works. This leads to less laughs but greater emotional resonance. Notions of age and responsibility are explored, and for the most part it is Curtis who must do the right thing, while all around him are floundering in a state of arrested development. Here, Nick Earls has tightened his focus and widened his emotional range, and for that he is to be commended.