Change is coming to the village of Hope. The mines have shut, the young people are leaving or dreaming up new ways to make a living: Giselda wants to be a ballerina; Beige Barrie, once voted Most Boring pupil at Hope's High School, has his sights set on the Australian Taxation Office. The tap-dancing twins at Parrot Dairy, Cockatoo and Cockatiel, have travel in mind, while old Elvie MacFageon decides that today is a good day to die.
In this beguiling, enchanting novel, Julie Simpson weaves the stories of the people of Hope into a richly imagined tapestry. Sometimes bizarre, sometimes very funny, occasionally dark and troubling, 'Idle Hour In The County Hope' is never less than fascinating.
