Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion in conversation with Sally Holdsworth
by Tessa Moriaty
In the warm, sweet ambience of Stonier Winery in Merricks, on a late winter afternoon in August – with a glass of pinot or chardonnay in hand and a platter of cheese and nibbles to savour the conversation palate – an audience gathered to hear authors Professor Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion in conversation with Western Port Writes Festival Director, Sally Holdsworth.
Both prolific writers successful in their own right with a string of titles each, the dynamic duo of Buist and Simsion – partners in life and in writing – make the process and the art of good story-telling look effortless.
The event coincided with the release of the second book in their Menzies Mental Health series, The Oasis (2025). The first story in the series, The Glass House (published 2024) takes us into an acute mental health in-patient unit; in The Oasis we are taken out into the work of the community mental health team. Both books shine an honest and human light on the experiences and relationships of those who work within the mental health service and some of the consumers in their care.
The main character, trainee psychiatrist Dr Hannah Wright, narrates both The Glass House and The Oasis. The books, and the strong characters Buist and Simsion create, give us insights into the mental health of professionals, the health of the system in which they work, the relatedness between personal and professional experience, and the thinking, behaviour and personalities of those in care – the people we call patients.
The conversation at Stonier between the authors was skilfully led by Sally who tuned in with an open ear and a keen eye to the craft of these writers and their unique process of story-making. Who drafts which manuscript version, what each writer adds to create the magic, and when and how the story comes together. It is Anne Buist’s own career and work as a psychiatrist that gives these stories their accuracy and credibility and the characters their authenticity. Buist writes the first draft. Simsion then adds his flair, literary mastery and editing skills to the characters, the plot, the story arc and its resolution.
The dialogue between authors, moderator and audience – like the refreshments from the bar – flowed smoothly across the hour, with ample time for questions from an engaged crowd.
As an insider myself – one who has worked in both acute and community mental health services (though only reading my way through The Glass House so far) – my assessment is that the story, the characters and the interactions are close to the mark. This story is also garnished with a level of humour that makes this read work. Initially, I was reluctant to take it off the shelf – not more work, I thought – but the more I read, the more I want to read. The Glass House (and I have no doubt The Oasis), is pretty much as it happens, and I applaud the authors for the humour they have inserted into these stories. The humour is ‘as it was’. Wrong or right. Respectful or otherwise, it is the humour that got us through some of the harsh realities of the work.
These are stories well written; this was an event worth attending and the audience was treated to a conversation with two authors who are highly adept at their craft.
