Lech Blaine

In 2009, Lech Blaine walked away unscratched from a fatal head-on collision outside Toowoomba. CAR CRASH: A MEMOIR is a riveting true story about family, identity, friendship and grief after tragedy.

TIM WINTON: “Scarifying and unforgettable, Car Crash is a story of carnage and life-long consequences – not just from a single, sudden catastrophe but from the long, slow cataclysm of masculine confusion.”

TRENT DALTON: “A heart-soaring act of literary bravery where the ongoing cost of experience is exposed in every note-perfect sentence … Some books just have to be written. And some books just have to be read.”

BRI LEE: “I began this book with my guts in my mouth. Then, as I read on, I winced with recognition, I laughed a lot and my heart gradually broke open … There are strong sentences, clarity of intent and tone, wicked one-liners and a mastery of metaphor.”

CAR CRASH: A MEMOIR is about the son of a publican in country Queensland, who dreams of being a writer, rather than an athlete like his older brothers. The story covers a young man’s recovery from depression and his first love during a natural disaster.

KRISTINA OLSSON: “A poetic, unflinching meditation on the exuberance of youth and the trauma of survival. It shines with a fierce intelligence.”

BENJAMIN LAW: “Blaine’s journalism has long made me suspect he’s one of the best writers of his generation. Car Crash confirms it, without a doubt.”

BROOKE DAVIS: “This book is an astonishing insight into the wild work of grief, in all its dark corners, in all its bright illuminations.”

CAR CRASH: A MEMOIR will be published on March 30 2021. Pre-orders with free delivery are available at the Black Inc. Books website, or the book can be ordered via your favorite local bookshop. Inquiries about publicity for the book can be sent to Sallie at sallie@blackincbooks.com. Last year, the Canadian, American and British rights for Car Crash were acquired by Greystone Books.

ANNABEL CRABB: “Unbelievably compelling and great … Thoughtfully intense … A terrific book.”

RICK MORTON: “Car Crash is a phenomenal book. Beautiful and dark and compelling.”