I’m always on the lookout for Australian writers for whom food is an essential part of their narratives. Fiona Kelly McGregor is one such. Two linked novels of theirs – Iris covering 1932 – 1937, and The Trap covering 1942 – 1943 – are rich with descriptions of the foodscapes of the characters. Set in the working-class inner Sydney suburbs of Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo the novels are peopled by prostitutes (prossies), violent criminals carrying guns and razors, nightclub owners/managers, corrupt police, homosexual men (royalies) and lesbians. They are in and out of prison charged with theft, consorting, vagrancy, begging alms, assault, and so on.
