Matt Okine: Broken Diamond House

In Broken Diamond House, Matt Okine contrasts his overreactions to seemingly small things with events that happened on his recent trip to Ghana to visit his father's side of the family. The overarching story is a comparison between his life in Australia and his experiences in Ghana, with plenty of related asides to flesh it out. However, the real questions Okine asks are: 'what are the really important things in life?' and 'how do I become a better person?' The results may not be what you think. Expertly segueing between the everyday - such as chip packaging, password strengths and toaster settings - to heavier topics such as plane crashes, family history and racism, Okine doesn't play it too safe but handles potentially taboo subjects intelligently and respectfully, and makes you hoot with laughter at the mundane. Broken Diamond House is thoughtful, confessional and finds the hilarity in both larger issues and life's insignificant annoyances.