s ▁relationship ▁with ▁his ▁second ▁wife , ▁C ress ida , ▁closely ▁par alle ls ▁John ston ' s ▁second ▁marriage ▁to ▁Ch arm ian ▁Cl ift . ▁On ▁the ▁e ve ▁of ▁C lean ▁St raw ▁for ▁Nothing ''' s ▁publication , ▁Cl ift ▁over d osed ▁on ▁bar bi atu ates ▁in ▁Sydney . ▁In ▁a ▁post hum ously - pub lished ▁ess ay , ▁My ▁Hus band ▁George , ▁Cl ift ▁wrote : ▁" I ▁do ▁believe ▁that ▁novel ists ▁must ▁be ▁free ▁to ▁write ▁what ▁they ▁like , ▁in ▁any ▁way ▁they ▁liked ▁to ▁write ▁it ▁( and ▁after ▁all ▁who ▁but ▁myself ▁had ▁ur ged ▁and ▁nag ged ▁him ▁into ▁it ? ), ▁but ▁the ▁stuff ▁of ▁which ▁C lean ▁St raw ▁for ▁Nothing ▁is ▁made ▁is ▁largely ▁experience ▁in ▁which ▁I , ▁too , ▁have ▁shared ▁and ▁... ▁have ▁felt ▁differently ▁because ▁I ▁am ▁a ▁different ▁person ..." ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁Ian ▁H icks , ▁writing ▁in ▁The ▁Can ber ra ▁Times ▁at ▁time ▁of ▁the ▁original ▁publication ▁of ▁the ▁novel , ▁indicates ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁worthy ▁successor ▁to ▁My ▁Bro ther ▁Jack : ▁" To ▁say ▁that ▁it ▁repe ats ▁the ▁success ▁of ▁Jack ▁is ▁to ▁be ▁guilty ▁of ▁extreme ▁under statement ; ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁magnetic ▁book ▁that ▁gr as ps ▁the ▁reader ' s ▁attention ▁and ▁holds ▁it ▁firm ly , ▁with ▁no ▁ap ology ... As ▁of ▁now ▁we ▁have ▁two ▁fine ▁nov els ▁setting ▁before ▁us ▁the ▁d ile m