Ben Hourigan
Page-turning novels that take an unflinching look at contemporary life and romance.
Kiss Me, Genius Boy (No More Dreams #1)
Joshua Rivers was born to expect great things. A former child prodigy and the son of a lottery winner, he also believes himself blessed with a vision of his perfect destiny and his perfect love. Now in his early twenties, Joshua already feels left behind by life. His long-time lover Lilian Lau is well on her way to becoming a famous artist, and his former classmates are also racing toward their success. Meanwhile, he waits for the moment, and the girl, that will show him his time has finally arrived. And when it does, he resolves to take what is his, whatever it costs him or anyone.
E-book
My Generation’s Lament (No More Dreams #2)
It’s been ten years since Joshua Rivers had his dream of the girl he believes he is supposed to marry, and she’s still nowhere in sight.
Now twenty-two, Joshua is stuck in a life markedly different from what he expected: he’s unhappy with his girlfriend and struggling with his doctoral thesis, while making no headway toward becoming a novelist, as he believes he must to win over his dream girl. Worse, his long-time lover, the nymphomaniac artist Lilian Lau, has cut him off because she thinks he’s become dependent on her.
Little does Joshua know that by the end of the year he’ll have met his destined love at last, but for now he is mired in darkness. Global terrorism and the lead-up to the Second Iraq War have created a climate of fear and anger in the intellectual world, and Joshua himself begins to manifest the ugly face of radicalism.
Finally, two chance encounters will see him revisit his family’s secrets, and give him a reprieve from his loneliness that he knows he does not deserve.
About Ben
Ben Hourigan is an Australian novelist. Born in Rosebud, a beachside town near Melbourne, Australia, in 1981, he has lived and worked in Melbourne, Sydney, and Ôsaka, and now spends most of his time in Bangkok.
His first book, Kiss Me, Genius Boy was published in 2011, followed by My Generation’s Lament in 2013. His next novel, Seize the Girl, will be the third and concluding volume in the No More Dreams series.
Ben’s essays have appeared in The Age, News Weekly, the IPA Review, and a range of academic journals. and his advertising copy appears anonymously in The Economist. He has been interviewed as an expert on libertarianism and popular culture by ABC Radio, and for articles appearing in USA Today and The Christian Science Monitor.
Get Ben Hourigan’s emails for news and updates
Sign up
Praise for Ben Hourigan’s novels
Just read Berko scene from KMGB. Kick ASS! That scene just earnt me buying vol 2 when it comes out. Lily needs a cape and skin-tight leather pants. Lily needs her own graphic novel. Lily should be immortal, and probably is. Read KMGB so you can meet Lily. I secretly think she is Joshua’s alter-ego. I think she might now also be mine.
—Esme F.
I’ve been telling my friends how refreshing it is to read something by one of my generation, instead of something by someone that’s dead. … Above all I admired the pithy, adroit little maxims on the nature of things.
—Dylan Thorn
Simple, direct but with subtle, thought-provoking passages about self-awareness and one’s relation to life and others. I can’t wait for the next book.
—Aiza C.
A page turner, very funny and unusually honest and frank … Lily really steals the show. A nymphomaniacal exploiter of men and women, a deeply interesting, entertaining and wild character who lights up every page she is on.
—Nicola Gray
Honestly I love it. It made me realize more the complexities and dimensions of love and loving.
—Mary J. T.