Known to himself as ‘Australia’s last surviving left wing journalist’ Felix Moore is comic, cowardly, idealistic, unreliable, and one of the great characters of modern literature. As this story starts he is sued for slander and found guilty. This is not the first time, but it seems it will be last. Finally he is unemployable.
Saved from shame and unemployment by his old mate, Woody Townes – a patron of left wing causes, property developer and millionaire with murky connections – he is commissioned to write the book that could save the life of a young female hacker facing extradition to the United States.
Did Gaby Bailleux, whose Angel Worm has infiltrated the Australian prison system, understand that she would be declaring cyber war on America? And how can the grey haired Felix gain access to his reluctant subject and understand her story? Known as Moore-or-less correct, for his somewhat unreliable grasp on reality, Felix believes he was born to write Gaby’s story.
Having gone to university with Gaby’s parents, Felix sees the daughter’s political beliefs through the lens of Australia’s special relationship with America spanning over forty years. Obsessed with the American backed coup of 1975, and even a little known “battle” during the second world war, Felix will eventually be guided by his subject to understand that this is her story and not his.
Two Time Booker Prize winner Peter Carey brings together the world of cyber hackers and radicals with the denied history of the United States, the CIA, and its relationship with its friend and client, Australia. Amnesia is Carey at his best, dark, funny, profound and unforgettable.