"The First Stone is at once an account of one of Australia's most explosive sexual harassment cases and an investigation into the soul of sexual politics. To provide the framework of her inquiry, Helen Garner uses the very public case of a University of Melbourne college master accused of sexual harassment by two of his students. After reading about the charge in the newspaper, Garner, a longtime feminist, impulsively wrote a letter of support to the accused man. The letter was made public and in the wake of much criticism over her support of the man, Garner set out to explore the women's claims. Along the way she uncovers issues that challenge her notions of feminism, political activism, gender relations, and power dynamics. With a journalist's eye for detail, Garner leads the reader into a riveting examination of the nature of sex and power in contemporary society."

What an unholy mess that whole drawn out episode was! And so sad, adversarial, tragic, and very badly handled. The book could have been a dry and boring rehashing, but Garner's prose and the combination of objective reportage of events (as much as she could ascertain) and her personal insights, made this an easy and frankly fascinating read. Garner is a truly honest writer, one who bares her own soul and is prepared to admit and examine her own biases. One reviewer commented that the book was "a roadmap of ambivalence" and I'd agree.

I know it's a long time since the events took place, but even so it remains an important book and a thought provoking read.

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