Peter Carey's Amnesia: what does it tell us?

After reading the hype regarding Peter Carey's Amnesia being a book focused on hacking, cyberspace, and politics I could not resist reading it at once. The back cover indicates that the novel will address the pressing question: "How did a young woman from suburban Melbourne become America's Public Enemy number one?": sound familiar? with a different gender are we talking about Assange here? Add to this the rumours (since denied) that Carey had been 'sounded out' about writing Assange's biography, and it sounds like we have a novel that will address these big questions of our time.

It starts out in a promising tone, placing the story of Gaby Baillieux in the hands of a journalist who has just endured a defamation trial, the 'famously shmabolic' Felix Moore,  jaded, faded and channelling to not a small degree of one of my favourite voices of doom, Bob Ellis. A worm has entered the computerised control systems of Australian (and American) jails and detention centres, opening the doors and freeing the prisoners and detainees, announcing itself with the words 'THE CORPORATION IS UNDER OUR CONTROL. THE ANGEL DECLARES YOU FREE'. Unlike the other journalists and commentators, the  narrator recognises this act for what it truly is: an attack on the US, and more conclusively, an act in retaliation for events begun in 1975, when the US (read CIA) removed the democratically elected Whitlam government.

If this all seems fairly far fetched, even for a self-declared conspiracy theorist you would be right.
We are taken on a journey through Melbourne, specifically Carlton and Coburg of the last couple of decades, recounting Gaby's childhood and her introduction through the enigmatic Frederic, to computers, online games, phreaking and eventually hacking. There are some fun moments, such as the drone disguised as a magpie, but ultimately I found the story deeply unsatisfying. For much of the book it is not clear just how unreliable the narrator has become, and how many levels of conspiracy are at work. It is nicely done, lots of references to technology, but lots of inconsistencies too. In the end we don't really answer those big questions, nor really gain any true understanding if Gaby is Public Enemy number one, and we certainly don't get any clear sense of her motivations, beyond being fairly pissed off with her parents.

This is not the novel of the internet generation and at worst makes the work of online activists seem childish and petulant. Further, although it skirts round the complexities of the Australian media landscape, it does not tackle important questions of old versus new media.

Some other reviews may be found at:
Amnesia by Peter Carey review – turbo-charged, hyper energetic, Andrew Motion, The Guardian
Amnesia by Peter Carey, book review: Echoes of Assange as author turns his sights on hacktivism

See also the 7.30 Report Interview with Carey.

CFP: Media & Arts Law Review: Law and Law Breaking in Game of Thrones

The Editors of the Media and Arts Law Review are preparing a Special Issue of the journal which will consider various issues of law and regulation that arise in the HBO TV Series Game of Thrones and the George RR Martin books, upon which the series is based.

Articles should be between 6,000- 8,000 words and may address any area of law that is relevant to an aspect of Game of Thrones. The special issue will be published mid-2015.

Proposals for an article of 500 words and including a brief author bio should be sent to Melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au. The proposal is due 10 October 2014 and acceptance of the proposal will be advised by 20 October 2014.

If the proposal is accepted, a full article suitable for blind double peer review must be submitted by 19 December 2014.

Please contact Melissa.dezwart@adelaide.edu.au if you have any questions.

The Media & Arts Law Review is the only Australian-based journal to focus on a broad range of legal issues affecting cultural life. The Review aims to engage both the academic and practitioner branches of the profession. It has a wide scope, including: communications, copyright, cultural heritage, defamation, digitisation, entertainment, free speech, intellectual property, journalism, privacy and public interest issues. The Media & Arts Law Review publishes independently refereed articles from Australia and overseas, as well as conference reports and book reviews. It also includes a series of regular update reports on media and arts law developments. These offer a snapshot of matters such as case law, legislation, law reform, convention developments, and changes in industry self-regulation. Update reports include coverage of the US, Canada, the UK, the European Union, New Zealand, Australia and some Asian jurisdictions.

Editors: Jason Bosland and Melissa de Zwart