Poly and Paul Dalgarno in the media

A selection of interviews, podcasts reviews and articles about Poly by Paul Dalgarno. Poly is available in print, ebook and audiobook.

Video and podcast interviews:

• Words and Nerds Podcast with Dani Vee

• Yarra Valley Writers Festival: Rick Morton interviews Paul Dalgarno

• Literary Elixirs

• Avid Reader: in conversation with Chloe Higgins

• Final Draft podcast

• Stories Behind the Story Podcast with Cheryl Akle

Written by Paul Dalgarno:

• Poly is a novel, not a manifesto. Herald Scotland

• Writing Sex Should be (Un)Easy. Lee Kofman’s writing blog

• Polyamory and the Mirror on the Wall. Archer Magazine

• How to Write a Novel While Working Full-time. ArtsHub

• The Six Questions I Always Get Asked About Being Polyamorous. The Guardian

Print/ online interviews:

• Penthouse Australia

• The Booktopian

• Good Reading

Reviews:

• Loving Polyamory. The Monthly

• Poly, a romp through romance and sexuality. Australian Book Review

• Queensland Reviewers Collective

• Out in Perth review

• Sydney Arts Guide review

• The Book Slut review

• Better Reading review

Selected review quotes and endorsements:

‘Poly might well be a masterclass in how to write dialogue […] Sardonic and playful, this is a world in which virtues don’t have definable corresponding vices. Love isn’t a concept of wholeness or oneness, nor can it be divided. It is a natural state – wonderful, often chaotic, fully lived – and this is what Paul Dalgarno gives us in Poly.’ – Australian Book Review

‘A fresh, witty take on modern masculinity and the lengths a man will go to for love. And sex. Lots and lots of sex.’ —Angela Savage

‘A quintessential 21st Century love story, Poly will shake you up, madden you, have you in stitches and, most significantly, make you consider your own life more deeply. I couldn’t put this novel down.’ —Lee Kofman

‘No one uncovers our human frailties quite like Paul Dalgarno – part relentless investigative journalist, part poet of the bohemian suburbs. Poly is authentic, merciless and wincingly accurate; black humour at its best.’ —Jane Rawson

‘An engaging entanglement of love, desire and distraction.’ —Angela Meyer

‘Poly takes us into the heart of a loving family we want to be part of, no matter how dysfunctional it gets. A rip-roaring ride through contemporary Melbourne that will have you heartbroken one moment and laughing the next. This is a portrait of real, lived poly life – with all of its paradoxes and complications – that I recognise with delight.' —Rochelle Siemienowicz

‘Dalgarno lays bare the complexities of modern adult relationships, neatly balancing a discussion of freedom and self-expression with an examination of the adult responsibilities of careers and children.’ —Books+Publishing

‘Explores modern masculinity through a polyamorous lens. An entertaining, hot mess of an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.’ —Penthouse

‘A very modern novel of manners […] Paul Dalgarno weaves a tale of twenty-first century sexual relationships, family dynamics, parenting issues and dramas, and betrayal… themes of sex, drug-taking, and family are linked with the concepts of masculinity and trust to create a novel which explores contemporary relationships in a very charming and disarming way. A fine debut with engaging characters which deserves to be widely read.’ —Queensland Writers Collective

‘Polyamorous romantic drama. A wild ride. Dalgarno includes mental health issues that impact on contemporary relationships as several of the male characters are suffering anxiety and/or depression along with questioning their masculinity.’ —OUTinPerth

‘What a cracker! One of the most pleasing reads published in the present pandemic […] Dalgarno is disarmingly adept at depicting his inner-city dwellers facing self-esteem issues as they confront the twilight of their youth and try to reign in their renegade responsibilities […] funny, honest, and nimble.’ —Sydney Arts Guide

“A hilarious but moving story of modern relationships in all their diversity, and an exploration of the fragility of love.” —Good Reading

‘Humorous and clever in its juxtapositions of domesticity and sexual exploration …’ —Kill Your Darlings

‘In a post Fifty Shades of Grey world, Poly is another story with sex at its heart. The prose is light-hearted, non-judgemental and drizzled with droll humour. Dalgarno’s writing is lively, and upbeat. It’s a racy, pacy, can’t-stop-to-take-a-breath romp of a read, and the protagonist’s stark honesty and relatable frustrations with everyday life makes Poly a page-turner.’ —ArtsHub

‘A hilarious, witty and engrossing debut. Fun and pacy black comedy… Absorbing… a refreshingly honest and authentic take on love and sex, as well as an intimate exploration of 21st century masculinity… Dalgarno’s use of prose, is raw, visceral and pulsing with energy. Dalgarno doesn’t shy away from touchy subject-matter either, exploring the topics of polyamory, sex, mental illness and masculinity so explicatory it will leave you wincing yet craving more… Incredibly funny… Poly is a raw, hilarious and intimate portrait of contemporary relationships in all their diversity.’ —Better Reading

‘An exploration of identity and love with all their messy, flawed complexities, Poly commendably handles issues around mental illness and suicide.’ —The Big Issue

‘Poly normalises masculine anxiety and open relationships. Poly’s dirty realism rarely tumbles into ethical compassing. Dalgarno’s best achievement is in montaging Chris’s spasmodic thoughts – adrift anywhere between bathing children at home and watching over Sarah having sex with a stranger – which means that Poly remains fundamentally about men and their primitive fear of other men as a threat to their procreative prowess. The novel’s whodunnit subplot overlays and animates this thematic focus. Is Zac an imposter on a calculated mission to usurp Chris’s role as the man of the house? Has he done anything inappropriate to the kids? A movie-script ambiance gives these flickering moments a sense of dimension …’ —The Monthly