“She finds more ways to be funny than I could count, yet she can cast a light into a dark corner before you know she's done it.” Nick Earls
Daisy is married to her job, Shirley de Young is engaged to Jack but would as soon be married to herself, while Joannie has left her husband for a fling with the movie star, Ralph Fiennes. Brad is inspired by the Eureka uprising to break up with his girlfriend, and an unexpected influx of babies - two thousand of them - calls into question the meaning of Jenny's life.
Flitting from Sydney to Melbourne, Canberra to California, this loosely linked collection of stories shines a bright fluorescent light on family, friendships, work, love and loss. Reviews
'She's got us all taped, she's a genius. She tells jokes and writes in parables which is not good for a literary career but is excellent news for readers. She's original, animating and defiant: she is a very, very good writer.' Fay Weldon
“I found the stories moving, thought-provoking and funny in equal measure. Each story is beautifully crafted, ending perfectly. A clear and assured voice emerges from the first page.” Rachel Wilson, Australian Bookseller + Publisher
'Catherine Harris finds more ways to be funny than I could count, yet she can cast a light into a dark corner before you know she's done it. She has a way of seeing and showing that are all her own, and a smart off-centre kind of energy that somehow only helps her aim stay true.' Nick Earls
'Frantic tales about frantic times told with great brio and style.' Frank Moorhouse
“This deceptively spare and understated collection of short stories explores the subtle compromises and negotiations of family, work and friendship with wry humour and insight. Individual stories reveal quiet moments of epiphany that are true to their period and hint tellingly at events that occur off the page. Together, the stories achieve a cumulative strength and present a remarkably consistent fictional world that resonates long after reading. The self-deprecating irony of the voice belies the emotive power that underpins the stories.” Judges, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2009
The Age Book of the Year Fiction Shortlist 2011
Like Being A Wife
$19.95 – Paperback book / Vintage
“She finds more ways to be funny than I could count, yet she can cast a light into a dark corner before you know she's done it.” Nick Earls
Daisy is married to her job, Shirley de Young is engaged to Jack but would a... Buy or find out more →
The Mary Smokes Boys
$29.95$24.95 – Paperback book / Transit Lounge
Grey’s mother dies giving birth to his sister Irene and the tragedy haunts his life in the small town of Mary Smokes. Grey prays that his mother will be returned to him in some form, so he might protect her from the worl... Buy or find out more →
Bright And Distant Shores
$29.99 – Trade paperback / Allen & Unwin
brilliant novel that is at once a rollicking yarn and a beautiful love story, with an amazing cast of unforgettable characters and exotic settings - a feat of imagination and storytelling.
Description They were showing t... Buy or find out more →
Bereft
$24.95 – Paperback book / Scribe Publications
Shortlisted for the 2011 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
It is 1919. The Great War has ended, but the Spanish flu epidemic is raging across Australia. Schools are closed, state borders are guarded by armed men, and train ... Buy or find out more →
Indelible Ink
$24.95 – Paperback book / Scribe Publications
Winner of the 2011 Age Book of the Year Award.
'For a long time now, when people ask me a favourite Australian author, invariably I think and say Fiona McGregor. There is a gutsiness, a splendour and command of language ... Buy or find out more →
Barbara Jefferis Award Shortlist 2011
Come Inside
$24.95 – Paperback book / Clouds Of Magellan
Winner of the 2011 Barbara Jefferis Award
A ship is wrecked in 1887 near the small country town of Colego. The sea throws up one troubled survivor who claims to know only her name.
Glenys Osborne's compelling first novel... Buy or find out more →
Sustenance
$32.95 – Paperback book / Univ West Aust Pr
In a small hotel on an island renowned for its hospitality and beauty, the Balinese staff and their Western guests are unexpectedly taken hostage. During the overnight siege, the hotel’s cook is compelled by the crisis t... Buy or find out more →
The Good Daughter
$32.95 – Trade paperback / Viking
Rebecca Toyer and Zach Kincaid eachlive on the outskirts of town, but come from very different sides of the tracks. When Zach's wealthy mother goes missing, Rebecca – the truckie's daughter – is implicated in her disappe... Buy or find out more →
Like Being A Wife
$19.95 – Paperback book / Vintage
“She finds more ways to be funny than I could count, yet she can cast a light into a dark corner before you know she's done it.” Nick Earls
Daisy is married to her job, Shirley de Young is engaged to Jack but would a... Buy or find out more →
