Literary fiction is characterised by originality and creativity. Popular fiction and artistic merit are often considered mutually exclusive. It won a slew of national and international crime fiction awards and was unexpectedly longlisted for the 2006 Miles Franklin award. Turnbull wasn’t alone in recognising The Broken Shore as an important work of literature. It’s not a great Australian crime novel, just a “great Australian novel”. Turnbull’s praise is surprising because there is no caveat other than the national adjective. In 2005 she wrote that Peter Temple’s The Broken Shore “might just be a great Australian novel”. Crime novel covers are often plastered with endorsements: “A terrific read,” “A real page-turner,” or “Author Y is the next Author X.” It’s far less common to read quotes such as the following from Fairfax crime fiction reviewer Sue Turnbull.
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