Debut Australian fiction to read this month
Anam by Andre Dao
A grandson tries to learn the family story. But what kind of story is it?
Moving from 1930s Hanoi through a series of never-ending wars and displacements to Saigon, Paris, Melbourne and Cambridge, Anam is a novel about memory and inheritance, colonialism and belonging, home and exile. Blending fiction and essay, theory and everyday life to imagine that which has been repressed, left out, and forgotten. The grandson mines his family and personal stories to turn over ideas that resonate with all of us around place and home, legacy and expectation, ambition and sacrifice. As he sifts through letters, photographs, government documents and memories, he has his own family to think about – a partner and an infant daughter. Is there a way to remember the past that creates a future for them?
'Anam is an enthralling and challenging novel, with moments both painful and tender. It is a profoundly beautiful debut.' – Justin Avery, Readings bookseller
Search History by Amy Taylor
After fleeing to Melbourne in the wake of a breakup, all Ana has to show for herself is an unfulfilling job at an overly enthusiastic tech start-up and one particularly questionable dating app experience. Then she meets Evan. As much as she tries to let their burgeoning relationship unfold IRL, Ana can't resist the urge to find Evan online. When she discovers that his previous girlfriend, Emily, died unexpectedly in a hit-and-run less than a year ago, Ana begins to worry she's living in the shadow of his lost love. Soon she's obsessively comparing herself to Emily, trawling through her dormant social media accounts in the hope of understanding her better. Online, Evan and Emily's life together looked perfect, but just how perfect was it? And why won't he talk about it?
'Search History is a dark, comedic retelling of Rebecca for the modern age, exploring the influence of social media in our relationships, our sense of identity, and our understanding of the lives of others ... I cannot emphasise enough how much I adored this book. Full of wit, humour, and wisdom, Amy Taylor’s debut offers a deeply relatable exploration of the endlessly inquisitive nature of humans, and asks how far into someone else’s private world we would go to have our curiosity satiated.' – Aurelia Orr, Readings bookseller
The Albatross by Nina Wan
When Primrose makes an unplanned detour into a dilapidated suburban golf course called Whistles, she has no idea that the past will come rushing back at her. At 36, her marriage is teetering from illness and infidelity. And by a twist of fate, Peter, the boy she loved twenty years ago, is now living across the street. Primrose cannot escape the increasing demands to make a choice, between her first love and her marriage, duty and desire, fear and freedom. Slowly, the grounds of Whistles, and a sport she proves to be terrible at, become her meditation and cure.
'Reading Nina Wan’s debut novel was a true privilege.' – Kate McIntosh, Readings bookseller
Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John
Orphia dreams of something more than the warrior crafts she's been forced to learn. Hidden away on a far-flung island, her blood sings with poetry and her words can move flowers to bloom and forests to grow ... but her father, the sun god Apollo, has forbidden her this art. A chance meeting with a young shield-maker, Eurydicius, gives her the courage to use her voice. After wielding all her gifts to defeat one final champion, Orphia draws the scrutiny of the gods. Performing her poetry, she wins the protection of the goddesses of the arts. She soon learns to hone her talents, crafting words of magic infused with history, love and tragedy. When Eurydicius joins her, Orphia must struggle with her competing desires of fame and love.
'Elyse John’s Orphia and Eurydicius is a sumptuous, gender-bending retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice. It celebrates the queer magic of storytelling and also women’s voices in an epic adventure across ancient Greece ... a lot of fun to read and stands out among the recent wave of feminist retellings of Greek mythology. I highly recommend it for Madeline Miller readers looking for an epic read.' – Stephanie King, Readings bookseller
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
In her work as a 'death doula', Clover Brooks ushers people peacefully through their last days, collecting their final words into three notebooks – Advice, Confessions and Regrets. But Clover spends so much time with the dying that she's forgotten how to live. Can her clients' hard-won wisdom show Clover the way to a happy ending? After all, what's the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can't give yourself a beautiful life?
'Although at first this seems like a book about death and tragedy, it subtly and beautifully reveals itself to be a celebration of life instead ... Mikki Brammer’s debut is a heart- warming, bittersweet push to take risks and seize every opportunity life throws your way.' – Aurelia Orr, Readings bookseller
After the Rain by Aisling Smith
This is the story of Benjamin Fortune, but you won’t hear from Benjamin. Malti, Benjamin’s wife, describes a year in their married life and its gradual disintegration. Ellery details her permanent estrangement from her father. Verona cannot see the faults her mother and older sister do. The three women all see the mercurial Benjamin in vastly different ways, though the trio of women live with an awareness that things, and people, may be more than they seem.
'A novel about marriage, family dynamics and the attempt to live between two cultures and lands. I highly recommend it.' – Annie Condon, Readings bookseller
