The Thousands

Everyone likes to philosophise about the ‘battle’ between print and online media. South Aus local Connor O’Brien is having a bet each way with his brand new collection of short stories Quiet City, which thoughtfully considers lives and their ubiquitous links to technology. Poignant, at times amusing and always carefully constructed, this cleanly designed piece makes you nod in agreement and then step back in horror as you recognise yourself in situations well out of your control: The addicted eBayer, the desperate tweeter/blogger, the robotic coder tapping out line after line of letters and numbers. But it’s fine, because you’re not quite like them, right? Not yet.

What’s almost as interesting than the collection itself is the system of payment. Sure, you can buy a hard copy for $12 and hold it in all its tactile glory, but for a mere tweet you can have it for free on your e-reader or computer. So what’s it to be? Hand over your hard-earned for a real life copy, or turn your good opinion into promotional fodder and receive a PDF for your efforts? It’s a fascinating predicament, and certainly symptomatic of the themes in Quiet City.