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First Name Second Name

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First Name Second Name

By: Steve MinOn
Narrated by: Siho Ellsmore, Harvey Zielinski
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About this listen

The journey will be long and difficult, one thousand miles. Try not to be too obvious. Stick to the backroads. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you get there. Stephen Bolin leaves a bizarre note by his deathbed, asking his sisters to take his body back to his birthplace in Far North Queensland. When they ignore his request, Stephen’s corpse makes the nocturnal pilgrimage alone. But what is compelling him and what will he find there? His journey, as a kind of jiangshi, takes him back through his turbulent family history: from his Chinese great-grandfather’s life on the goldfields in 1860s Queensland, to his Scottish grandparents’ migration to Australia as ten-pound Poms, and to his own coming of age and coming out in Brisbane and London. Original and satirical, First Name Second Name follows four generations of one family through a reckoning with racial, familial and sexual identity.

©2025 Steve MinOn (P)2025 Random House Audio Literature & Fiction Witty
All stars
Most relevant  
Listened to Steve MinOn’s ‘First Name, Second Name’ over two days and found the story thoroughly engaging and thought provoking. Much to think about. Now, I want to read it… carefully (…and with a family tree).

The narrator’s were excellent. Some of us Brisbane locals may notice a few mispronounctions of places we know - Murarrie and The Mater - but this does not detract from the brilliant performance of both Shio Ellsmore and Harvey Zielinski.

8 hours and 11 minutes of absolute 5 star writing and performance! Highly recommend.

Thought Provoking Masterpiece

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