As Swallows Fly
by Lawrence McMahon
Published by Ventura Press | March 2021 | RRP $29.99
In this captivating and unforgettable debut novel, McMahon asks us what might be possible if we had the courage to show our flaws.
Lawrence McMahon’s writing career began with a short story published in Quadrant over 30 years ago. He has always been a writer, winning multiple national and regional short story awards, which he juggles with a busy career, directing a medical department specialising in kidney disease. He also continues his research and teaching career as Professor of Nephrology at Monash University in Melbourne.
The characters and storylines in As Swallows Fly are based on McMahon’s experiences as a volunteer medic in Pakistan, where he recognised that as a doctor the ability to express vulnerability is limited in high-stress situations. According to McMahon, “The other side to the book was the recognition over some years that, as medical practitioners, we are counted among those groups who cannot show weakness or express vulnerability. Externally, patients and their families need us available and at our peak and we ask nothing less of ourselves. Surgeons, in particular, are exposed to this mandate—and Nietzsche I think was referring to the same thing when he said that (and I paraphrase) ‘the gods we create must conform to the stereotype we demand’. Internally, within the medical cloisters, there is a core that always ‘seeks the jugular’ of ambition and power. Yet everyone has flaws and to deny them results only in lasting dissatisfaction and burnout. Acceptance is vital.”
Blending two decades of different cultures and experiences, from a remote village in Pakistan to bustling modern-day Melbourne, As Swallows Fly tells the story of an unlikely friendship, drawing from senses of belonging and acceptance in a culture overshadowed by the pursuit of perfection.
Kate is a successful plastic surgeon who is traumatised both by her past and by an unforgiving mother. Malika, an orphan in rural Pakistan, is brilliant beyond measure but emotionally fragile after being raped and left disfigured. They meet when Malika is sent to school in Melbourne, where their lives slowly intertwine as they find within each other what each has lacked alone. The girl unsuccessfully looks to Kate to repair her face, while Kate gradually finds herself seeking solace in and friendship with the younger woman, whose genius is also slowly revealed. Differences stretch their fragile bond to the breaking point until Malika falls critically ill and Kate must overcome lifelong inhibitions to save her.
Through this powerful coming of age storyline, McMahon tells a poignant portrayal of survival, identity and empowerment in a culture that is dominated by the drive for perfection.
ABOUT LAWRENCE MCMAHON
Lawrence McMahon has an extensive medical background and currently directs a busy medical department as Professor of Nephrology at Monash University. He began his writing career as a medical student, winning multiple national and regional short story awards. As Swallows Fly is his debut novel.
