Hayley King/Flox tells Eleanor Black what she's reading
I'm one of those readers who finds it really hard to shut my brain off at the end of the day. I'll often have to re-read the same passage about five times, so when I find a book that grabs my attention,I really appreciate it. I want to be drawn into another world for a while – I'm after total escapism.
Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty, is a book I grabbed on a whim. I was drawn to the story because it's centred around three women who are relatable to me in age and immediate circumstance. As I began reading, I realised that's about all we have in common.
It's a murder mystery, a "whodunnit", with a shocking twist and well-developed characters. The murder investigation is cleverly intertwined with the plot and I was left questioning until the very end. Even though Big Little Lies was published in 2014, the characters remain valid in today's social climate.
Moriarty tackles some heavy issues such as abuse and domestic violence. I admit it's a grim subject matter but what is encouraging is the portrayal of the main characters. They are empowering and complicated with diverse and interesting stories and they discover they can support each other as they each face strong adversity. The book was made into a television series, which I also highly recommend.
When I choose a book, I want something that can capture my attention for a long time, so I tend to go for books that are lengthy or part of a series. I recently started The Passage, by Justin Cronin. It's a post-apocalyptic vampire story that crosses all sorts of genres but I think I was attracted to it because of the total contrast to my day-to-day life. Fantasy novels allow me to completely zone-out for a while.
While it's thrilling to be entranced by a fantasy novel, I have similar experiences with my art. Creating the illustrations for my most recent project, Tu Meke Tuatara! was a welcome escape from the pandemic and all the turmoil that was happening in the world. It was a huge challenge to adjust to the lockdown but it did allow me the space and time to dig deep into the work and focus on the visual poetry. I'm really proud of the result. I might gravitate towards the macabre for reading but in creating children's books, it's all about the beauty and joy.
Artist Flox illustrated the children's book Tu Meke Tuatara! written by Malcolm Clarke (Little Love, $30)
