You may think that the dual-timeline historical fiction novel has had its moment. But recently there have been a number of novels which have played with the braided, three-narrative structure. While difficult to pull off, these blends of historical fiction and mysteries that span across time are very popular, especially with readers who enjoy the…
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Are you curious about Australia’s early modernist literary movement? Then Her Sunburnt Country by Deborah FitzGerald is the perfect introduction. Many Australians should know of Dorothea Mackellar’s poem – “My Country”, with its captivating prose and beautiful description of Australia. Since the poem’s publication in 1908 it has only grown in popularity, quickly became a…
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Perhaps as a reader, I have finally had enough of books that are trying to be Rebecca. Or perhaps it is just that the story doesn’t transpose well into a modern setting, but Jillian Cantor‘s latest novel The Fiction Writer didn’t quite work for me. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a compelling read. It’s got a…
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Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll paints a vivid canvas of enthralling storytelling that navigates the complexities of female ambition, societal expectations, and the pursuit of success. Knoll, acclaimed for her previous works, including Luckiest Girl Alive, demonstrates her prowess once again in crafting a compelling narrative that delves into the lives of multifaceted characters….
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Lonely kid Hailey is dropped off at a holiday camp at – of all places – an abandoned shopping mall. But today, there’s a new girl. Her name is Jen, and together she and Hailey break away from the group and start exploring the mall. Meanwhile, two boys from the camp are also making their…
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Burn by Melanie Saward is an emotional read that reflects upon why good kids do bad things through the lens of generational and collective trauma, depictions of decolonised justice systems, the ongoing effects of colonisation, and the harm that can stem from disconnection to Country and culture. Burn is Saward’s debut novel and is developed…
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Seasoned journalist and well-respected ABC anchor Leigh Sales is usually found discussing politics and the latest breaking news; but in her latest book Storytellers she instead turns the discussion inwards, digging deep into the craft of journalism. Interviewing over thirty people from television news programs, websites and print newspapers, in this book she shares tips,…
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Molly Schmidt‘s hotly anticipated debut novel, Salt River Road, won the 2022 City of Fremantle TAG Hungerford Award. It has now gone on to be longlisted for this year’s Indie Book Awards Debut Fiction Award, looking to continue Fremantle Press’s tradition of unearthing stand out Western Australian Writers. The story of the Tetley family, and their…
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The Girl In The Band is a tell all memoir from Australian singer, creative director and interior designer Belinda Chapple. Chapple made a name for herself as a singer, dancer and model, starting her performing career at just ten years old. She shot to stardom as a member of the award-winning and platinum-selling band Bardot….
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In Margaret Meyer’s The Witching Tide, the story of a witch-hunt is seen through the eyes of Martha Hallybread, a mute midwife, who may actually be a witch. Ironically, she is the only woman in her town who seems to be safe from the paranoia and suspicions of a community riddled with bad luck – failed…
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The Heartstopper franchise is the perfect way to expose young people to diversity, inclusivity, and what it is like to grow up, experience first times, and all the awkwardness that comes with it. At the beginning of the book, one of the main characters, Charlie Spring, turns sixteen. After a year of Nick Nelson and…
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Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is Benjamin Stevenson‘s second whodunit murder mystery novel told in the first person by his endearingly human narrator and main character, Ernest Cunningham. The fourth wall breaking of this book, much like the first – Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone – makes it a little confusing…
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Twice Cursed is the second anthology from editors Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane on the theme of the curse. Authors such as Neil Gaiman, Angela Slatter, Laura Purcell, and A. C. Wise have each contributed short stories of dark and urban fantasy and fairy tale to explore the concept of a curse: of being cursed,…
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Best-selling rural fiction author Fleur McDonald takes us to the South Australian outback with her latest novel Voices in the Dark. A family drama at heart, the book is an authentic exploration of grief, family estrangement, and life on the land. Upon receiving the news that the grandmother who raised her is dying, Sassi Stapleton…
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Others Were Emeralds by Lang Leav is a coming-of-age tale that explores the complications of friendships, relationships, and the experiences of immigration during the 1980s and 1990s when anti-Asian sentiment flooded Australia. Ai, her family, and her close-knit group of high school friends live in the diverse fictional town of Whitlam, based on Sydney’s Cabramatta, where…
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Beginning with the tale of Arthurian villainess Morgan le Fay, Sophie Keetch‘s Morgan Is My Name marks the start of an exciting new historical fantasy. Following Morgan from the death of her loving father and his replacement in the form of the brutish Uther Pendragon, to her eventual escape to the court of her young…
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Hidden behind a wall of poisonous ivy, safe from the giant water-ants hunting anything that moves out on the lake, and the dangerous wyann trees with their spear-like roots, the people of Sala’s village eke out a quiet existence, doing what they can to survive. But Sala knows Itta is dying, and without change, time…
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Blending memoir with cultural criticism, Me, Her, Us is the debut non-fiction release from Yen-Rong Wong, exploring the intersection between sex, relationships, and race. Raised by religious Malaysian Chinese parents in Brisbane, she bristled against the idealised version of who she was supposed to be and how her life was supposed to play out. Me,…
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You’re All Talk is a book about just what it sounds like – talking, language and its ties to our identities. Sociolinguist Rob Drummond takes us through how we perceive others (and ourselves) through the way we talk, offering a fascinating dive into the world of accents, slang and code-switching. It may seem like a…
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Roseghetto, the debut novel from author Kristy Jagger, takes a hard look at trauma and low-socioeconomic hardships. The novel begins with the main character, Shayla, at just three-years-old and follows her right through to when she is an eighteen-year-old. Throughout the book, readers get a glimpse into what it is like living and growing up…
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For many writers, their second novel is often less remarkable than their debut. Not so the case of Kate Mildenhall, whose sophomore book, The Mother Fault, cemented its author’s status as a writer to watch in Australian literature. Mildenhall’s third novel, The Hummingbird Effect continues her trajectory as a writer who is not afraid to push boundaries…
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Miles Franklin Award nominated author Briohny Doyle earlier this year released, Why We Are Here, a touching new novel about love, loss, dogs and golf courses. Frankly any book that starts with discussions of dogs’ scrotums and golf course mishaps has succeeded in piquing my interest. The novel follows the story of a girl –…
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Broadcaster Mikey Robins has entertained many audiences over the years with his sharp tongue and trademark wit. The comedian has now written his third book, this time setting his sights on discussing some of history’s finest dolts. Idiots, Follies & Misadventures is another fun romp through the past with Robins as our guide, telling us…
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Emma Young’s second novel, The Disorganisation of Celia Stone, is so much more than an updated homage to Bridget Jones’s Diary. Though it may start off with a number of similarities – chief among them, the diary format, and witty, self-deprecating tone, the book goes beyond the ground covered by that beloved 90s classic, exploring…
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The Other Side of Never, edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane, is a collection of spec-fic tales with contributions from a variety of sci-fi, horror and fantasy writers. In this particular anthology, each story is inspired by J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan tales, whilst focusing on different characters and putting new spins on the…
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Quietly Hostile is Samantha Irby‘s fourth collection of hilarious, off-the-wall personal essays. Almost blog-style in its randomness, each chapter takes us on a journey through a variety of Irby’s loves, hates, flights of fancy, reimagined TV episodes, lists of food, embarrassing anecdotes, and misadventures in bodily functions that will give you whiplash as they switch…
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The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff is a historical fiction novel set in the early days of North America’s colonisation. This third person narrative explores a servant girl’s escape from a settlement, her battle for survival, the discovery of a new alien environment, and her belief in God. At the beginning of the book, readers…
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Lowbridge, by Lucy Campbell, is a rural mystery set in the fictional New South Wales town of Lowbridge. In the present day, Katherine and her husband Jamie have moved from Sydney to Lowbridge, Jamie’s hometown, to try and heal from a devastating loss. In alternating chapters, also in Lowbridge but back in 1986, the town…
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It seems that the Australian publishing industry’s hunger for anti-rom-coms (or as I like to call them, Sad Girl Lit) is showing no signs of abating. The perfect successor to the Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes heyday of the last decade, today’s heroine is stressed out and has major FOMO. Prue, the heroine of Jessica…
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Rachel Louise Snyder’s most recent memoir – Woman We Buried, Woman We Burned – is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed book No Visible Bruises. The book is an account of Synder’s journey from teenage runaway to award-winning journalist. The often heartbreaking account begins with the death of the author’s mother, when Snyder was eight years…
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