When I was younger, Anne changed my perception of the world with her wonderful Damned Whores and God’s Police. Now, 25 years later, I put my daughter to bed and pick up her latest offering. Here, Anne begins to determine the origin of a portrait of her own mother from the stance of the painter, the owners, and consequently of herself and her mother. It is a journey full of complexity and pain for all involved, told with honesty and regard for the women within the story.

The Lost Mother brings into the light the history of Melbourne from the 1930s to now – and the role of female artists (in particular Constance Stokes, the artist of the portrait) and social identities in shaping our cultural landscape. But most of all, Summers explores the choices women make between parenthood, creativity and love.

I read through the night and marvel again that one writer could fit so much of herself and of us all into one beautifully presented book. I finish and step a little closer to understanding how choices also involve sacrifice.