Cairo is a 2013 novel by Australian author

Chris Womersley Chris Womersley (born 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian author of crime fiction, short stories and poetry. He trained as a radio journalist and has travelled extensively to such places as India, South-East Asia, South America, Nort ...

. It is Womersley's third novel and it takes its name from the location where the protagonist lives, in the

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...

listed Cairo Flats apartment block that is located in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

suburb of Fitzroy. The novel also features a number of actual places and venues around Fitzroy, and on Brunswick Street, from the

Punters Club The Punters Club is a pub and live music venue located on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, in inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. During its original run as the Punters Club, it developed a reputation as one of the city's premier live music ven ...

, The Black Cat Cafe, Polyester Records and Rhumbarellas. The novel is presented as a reminiscence of "Tom Button", a boy from rural Victoria who inherits an apartment in Cairo from a

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

aunt of his. Throughout the story, no specifics are given as to which apartment number Tom lives in, but based on the descriptions in the book and former residents experiences of living there, the only plausible possibility is that Tom lives in unit 20. Whilst living in the building Tom meets Max and Sally Cheever, a couple who also live at Cairo, in unit 28. Through Max and Sally, Tom is introduced to a wider circle of bohemian artists and musicians, which draws him into more sinister events. The centrepiece of the story is inspired by the real theft of The Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria in 1986. No one has ever publicly admitted being involved in the theft or been charged by police. The novel also had a limited international release. The UK edition of the book featured a different cover to the Australian edition. The

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edition of the book featured a different cover, as well as a different title. In France, the book was released as "La Compagnie des artistes" (A Company of Artists).

References

External links

Video of the author talking about the novel
at

Scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...

website.
Interview with Chris Womersley
conducted at Cairo Flats reflecting on his novel. 2013 Australian novels Novels set in Victoria (state) Scribe (publisher) books {{2010s-novel-stub