Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist 2016
The Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist for 2016 has been announced. Congratulations to the shortlisted authors and publishers – and an extra special hurrah to our own St Kilda bookseller A.S. Patrić!
To celebrate the shortlist we’re offering a pack of all five shortlisted novels at a super special special price of $107 (). Please note, this offer is only available online.
Hope Farm by Peggy Frew
It is the winter of 1985 and Silver’s mother, Ishtar, has fallen for the charismatic Miller. The three of them have moved to Hope Farm – a rural hippie commune that sticks out of the ragged landscape like a decaying tooth – to make a new start.
“A gorgeously written gem of a novel. ” – Jason Austin, buyer at Readings Carlton
Leap by Myfanwy Jones
Joe is driven by a need to atone for a single night in his past and continues to live – despite himself. On the other side of the city, Elise is watching her marriage bleed out and has retreated to the only place that holds any meaning for her: the tiger enclosure at the zoo.
“Myfanwy Jones’ writing pulses, pushed along with an irrepressible dynamism that echoes its protagonists.” – Alan Vaarwerk, editorial assistant for the Readings Monthly
Black Rock White City by A.S. Patrić
During a hot Melbourne summer Jovan’s cleaning work at a bayside hospital is disrupted by acts of graffiti and violence. For Jovan the mysterious words that must be cleaned away dislodge the poetry of the past; he and his wife Suzana were forced to flee Sarajevo and the death of their children.
“Brutal and often confronting, Black Rock White City bursts with an intensity that will shock and surprise readers.” – Sally Keighery, freelance reviewer
Salt Creek by Lucy Treloar
Salt Creek is set in the Coorong in the 1850s. This beautiful and inhospitable coastal region in the new province of South Australia has been opened to graziers willing to chance their luck. Among them are the Finches, an affluent family who have fallen on hard times.
“Treloar has perfectly captured the sense of isolation and history that is still present in the Coorong today.” – Sharon Peterson, assistant manager at Readings Carlton
Read Sharon’s full review here
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
10 women are imprisoned on an isolated property in the middle of Australia, and forced into hard labour in scorching heat. While initially given no explanation for their imprisonment, it soon becomes clear that each has been involved in a public sex scandal with a powerful man.
“I was gripped by the full-bodied, precise prose. Wood deftly shows us how we are savage, revolting, tender, desperate, and especially how we survive.” – Emily Gale, freelance reviewer
