The Comfort of Figs by Simon Cleary
I used to love my grandmother’s sprawling, shady Moreton Bay fig tree in her backyard at leafy Ashgrove in Brisbane. I even remember asking the name of it, and later thinking that it is a pity that the city isn’t as famous for its indigenous fig trees as it is for the purple-blossomed jacarandas, which originate from South Africa. Robbie, the protaganist o f The Comfort of Figs, also thinks this, although he loves all of Brisbane’s trees. His job is planting fig trees for the council, but each morning he also likes to plant one on his own, his personal contribution to the city landscape. He also likes to show his Canadian girlfriend, Freya, around different areas of the city, and give her little gifts, from his beloved trees, such as fig tree leaves, dried silky oak leaves, bird’s feathers and macadamia nuts. Robbie is troubled, however, by his estrangement from his father, who worked on the stunning Story Bridge, and will never let him forget it. When he visits his parent’s apart...
