Manic Streets of Perth: Anthology

This 600-page anthology gathers Franklin's first two novels while adding a title story that represents his fiction at its warmest. ‘I definitely tried for a gentler touch and a slightly larger than life feel with Manic Streets , although I was keen to avoid anything remotely mawkish or sentimental,' he said. ‘Perth's the most beautiful place I've ever lived and I wanted to capture my essential fondness for it. The novel evolved from seeing a report on the news showing black and white CCTV footage of a man walking into a shop and terrifying the cashier with a snake. I knew straightaway that would make a great first scene. The rest of the tale came from drawing on my Welsh heritage, especially the Manic Street Preachers, while forcing a cherished collection of hapless characters to interact. Female readers certainly seem to respond well to the heroine Kim Jones, probably because she spends the whole novel being exasperated by men.' Franklin is less sure of readers hoping for similarly affectionate stories in the rest of the anthology. ‘I guess I would compare reading the three novels to wading into a pool – at first it's quite warm and pleasing but the further you go the colder it gets until you realise there are unseen animals with teeth circling you.'