Chasing Novak Fishing

Chasing Novak Fishing

Sergei and Novak Karamazov are brothers who, following their father's suicide in 1988, emigrate from the USSR to Brisbane, to live with their Uncle Rog - gambler, weed-farmer, sole-shareholder of the Business of Death. Struggling to recover from the loss of his father, twelve-year-old Novak runs away, leaving their house burned to the ground. Over the next decade, Sergei and Rog traverse Australia on the trail of Novak, from the pubs and racetracks of Sydney to the anarcho-vegan share-houses of Melbourne. On the way they are joined by Rags - Aboriginal, on parole, expert fisherman. Tracing the crevices of the Murray-Darling Basin, they arrive at an outback vineyard deep in the Pilbara. Meanwhile, Novak (under the guise of Jacky Siberia) wakes up in a guesthouse in Saigon. Plagued by strange dreams and memories, recovering from a stab wound, and addicted to heroin, he gambles his life, and that of his only friend - the Welshman - on one final cockfight. His rooster loses. Chasing Novak Fishing is a literary road novel about suicide, post-colonial guilt, philosophy and fishing. It is funny, fast-paced, provocative, strange, and, like the colours on a marlin's dorsal fin, dazzlingly original. Daniel Jenkins was a writer and teacher from Armidale, NSW. He was born in Gosford in 1982 and passed away unexpectedly in Sydney in 2017.As a child, he lived for five years on Palm Island, Queensland, before completing his schooling in Armidale, NSW, where he enjoyed living in the bush at nearby Invergowrie. He completed a Bachelor's of Creative Industries at Queensland University of Technology, and a Master's of Creative Writing at Sydney University. Daniel taught English as a Second Language in Australia, Vietnam and Oman.As well as reading and writing, Daniel enjoyed travelling, especially in Australia and Asia, where he gained inspiration for this story. He loved spending time with his friends and family, and he loved fishing.Daniel has had magazine articles, short stories, a memoir, and a novella published. This was his first novel.