Interview with Patrick Marlborough - Nock Loose

Patrick Marlborough is a neurodivergent nonbinary writer, comedian, journalist, critic and musician based in Walyalup (Fremantle), Whadjuk Boodja.

Patrick Marlborough. Credit Fremantle Shipping News

They have been published in VICE, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Junkee, Noisey, Meanjin, Overland, Crikey, The Lifted Brow, Cordite, Going Down Swinging, The Betoota Advocate, and beloved other. They are a passionate mental health and disability advocate, regularly writing about their experiences with depression, suicide, bipolar, high functioning autism, and OCD. They have lived their whole life in Fremantle and spend their days arguing with their incredibly naughty dog, Buckley.

Their novel, Nock Loose has just been published by Fremantle Press after being shortlisted for the 2023 Fogarty Prize.

Joy is a gifted archer, a retired Olympian and a former stuntwoman on a cult Japanese tokusatsu show. Raised by a feckless grifter, her home is Bodkins Point. For 150 years, this small town has hosted an annual ultra-violent medieval festival called ‘Agincourt’. During the festival, Bodkins Point transforms – assuming a parallel identity that plays tug-of-war with the way its townsfolk live for the rest of the year.

In the aftermath of a terrible fire, Joy’s past and the town’s dark history are set on a collision course as she takes the furious road to revenge.

In this screwball comedy revenge thriller, Game of Thrones meets Wake in Fright meets Kill Bill meets The Simpsons — it’s fair to say, as Fremantle Press say on their homepage, that Nock Loose is like nothing else in OzLit.

Not surprisingly praise for the book is coming fast.

‘Marlborough is that rarest thing: a dangerous Australian writer. Read them before it’s too late.’ Michael Winkler

‘Mad, rad and merciless: Australia own energy-drink-era Vonnegut.’ Sam George-Allen

‘Nock Loose runs a rake over decades of D-Grade Australian culture and draws a narrative between all that was caught between the tines. Feeling like the cinematic amalgam of a nineties daytime talk show, an op shop joke book, and a hijacked reddit thread, only Marlborough could (or would) write this book.’ Max Easton

Readers will soon discover satire lurks with black humour, and crime plots that keeps you intrigued till the last page.

There are many LOL moments, to boot.

Spoiler alert: And expect dead bodies too many to count.

The Editor of Fremantle Shipping News, Michael Barker, caught up with Patrick Marlborough to make the podcast you’ll find below where we discuss Patrick’s novel, the themes, what’s hidden and what’s not, and for whom he he has written his novel.

You’ll soon find the novel in good book stores and can order it online from Fremantle Press right now.

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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