A lot of drugs, not many chapter breaks. This book sucks you in, it is immersive in both plot and character with well-developed twists and turns that feel real. The relationships feel real and deep and for this reason the book shines. Loaded is about a young Greek Australian on a night out, Ari. Ari is bombastic, Greek and gay at a time when neither was acceptable anywhere. However, alongside these already confrontational traits in 90s Australia, Loaded shares an underlying message from the working & not-working class. As well as the sexual, ethnic and family encounters/commentary Ari is constantly sharing his thoughts on Australian suburbia at the time. Comparing this to Tsiolkas’ other work, The Slap, you can see the development in Tsiolkas’ writing and a change in subject matter. Loaded is raw, but deep although the plot is very A to B. The Slap is far more complex but also interestingly, at least for me, shows a change in the subject matter. Greeks in Loaded are defined by working class roots, Greeks on The Slap are second or third generation families that have long left the factories. I really enjoyed loaded, it was fast paced and enthraling.
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