Review by Stacey O’Carroll
Author: James Colley
Publisher: Pantera Press
RRP: $32.99
Release Date: 30 January 2024
“Norm has just had a big idea. The biggest idea of his life, in fact. Norm is not used to having ideas, particularly not big ones.”
If you could build a Big Thing in your town, what would it be? Australia has a lot of Big Things — the Big Banana, The Big Merino, The Big Prawn — but in comedian James Colley’s debut novel The Next Big Thing, Norm believes building one will save his town. From the moment we are introduced to Norm while he chases an out-of-control trolley with a dog inside, the reader knows they are in for a fun and hilarious adventure. Any novel that starts with an old dog called Puppy in a broken trolley is bound to be packed with humour and quirky elements, and The Next Big Thing doesn’t disappoint.
“The garden trolley was out of control. The old dog’s deep black eyes flickered with an emotion somewhere between fear and resignation. If this was his last ride, he was going to enjoy it.”
Colley, better known for his work on television shows Gruen, Summer Love, Question Everything and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, brings his unique humour to a tiny rural Australian town on the brink of financial collapse. Norm loves the town of Norman; he has lived there his whole life and sees no reason to leave. He loves the people who live there and his best friend, Ella. But with the river and jobs drying up, the town is struggling to survive. With the encouragement of Ella, Norm plans to build a Big Thing to bring tourists and save the town. When Norm discovers that Ella wants to leave Norman for the city, he hopes that building the Big Thing will also convince her to stay.
“He knew everyone in the bar by name. If pushed, he could quote their home address, mother’s maiden name, and just about every other detail he would need to steal their identity.”
The Next Big Thing is one of those rare books that is both hilarious and filled with heart. It’s hard not to love Norm and the quirky characters of Norman. While the characters could be caricatures, for all their weird and wonderful idiosyncrasies, they are so realistic they could be found in any small town. The characters’ quirks make them all the more endearing…except maybe the nasty mayor.
“Norm was comfortable in the world of dreams.”
Colley drops the reader into the town of Norman as though we have just driven into town for a visit and are sitting at the bar watching life carry on around us. However, my only issue with the characters is that because the protagonist is called Norm (a clever play on the name of the town), it is difficult at first to work out how old he is supposed to be. Because of the connotations of the name Norm, the image conjured up on the first page is a man over sixty. Yet, Norm is only a young adult. Perhaps this could have been solved by adding details that cue to his age when readers are first introduced to him.
“Life changed in an instant and then it was up to you to hold on and ride the aftershocks.”
While Colley’s The Next Big Thing is predominantly a laugh-out-loud comedy with a little romance tossed in, he also touches on some serious topics such as financial hardship, loss and grief, family issues and the impacts of drought on rural towns with consideration and honesty. In a comedic novel, these moments could come across as insincere or forced. However, Colley’s background in television writing allows him to slot such themes in seamlessly.
“Awful things happen suddenly, but hope grows slow.”
One of the best parts of Colley’s novel (and there are quite a few!) is the way the story is structured to begin each chapter with a real Big Thing from across Australia. The reader learns about the history of a different Big Thing from old newspaper articles at the beginning of each chapter. And there are a lot more than most people would realise. While some of them are more well-known, there are the weirder ones, such as The Big Dead Fish, The Big Ute, The Tallest Bin and The Big Poo. Yes, you read that correctly. Not only does The Next Big Thing leave readers in a feel-good mood, but the novel also sparks the desire to take a road trip across Australia to visit the remaining Big Things.
“That was the real Big Thing all along.”
Colley’s The Next Big Thing is one of the few books I have chuckled out loud. The novel is a story with humour, heart and a bit of history mixed in. The Next Big Thing is a fabulous love letter to Australia’s weird, wonderful and extremely popular Big Things. I loved this novel and look forward to reading more hilarious and uplifting stories from Colley in the future. We could all use a little feel-good comedy at the moment, and The Next Big Thing delivers just that. So, pack the Minties and hit the road to visit the little town of Norman.
(Read our interview with James Colley)