Australian fiction
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
The Animals in That Country is a standout debut novel of 2020. It is the second work of fiction from Laura Jean McKay, following her acclaimed short-story collection, Holiday in Cambodia (2013). Original, hugely entertaining and superbly crafted, this is…
I Don’t Know How That Happened by Oliver Driscoll
The pared-back prose poems in this collection examine the seemingly small details of domestic life. They tell the stories of encounters – moments of contact and subtle conflict – that happen between people when they live close to each other…
The Salt Madonna by Catherine Noske
On the tiny fictional island of Chesil, something is not right. The presence of Mulvey, the overbearing magnate at the top of the hill, looms over the dwindling community, increasingly troubled by the fall in their local economy.
Hannah’s return…
The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham
‘The coconut children on the trees need to drop into the water. That way the ocean can carry them to another island, where they can grow.’
Cabramatta, 1998. Vincent Tran has returned after two years in juvie, and his childhood…
The Origin of Me by Bernard Gallate
Previously known for his work in children’s literature, Bernard Gallate brings a lightness and sense of play to his debut adult novel, The Origin of Me.
Things aren’t going too well for fifteen-year-old Lincoln Locke. Following the breakdown of…
The Inland Sea by Madeleine Watts
Against a backdrop of familiar ecological catastrophe – fires, floods, and the terrifying spectre of the future of a warmed world – a young woman’s life is unravelling in Sydney’s inner west. She works in a call centre connecting emergency…
Desire Lines by Felicity Volk
Paddy is seven years old when his parents hand him over to the care of the nuns. It is 1952, and some might say he is lucky to get away from his abusive father and the family’s poverty-line existence, but…
Melting Moments by Anna Goldsworthy
Fans of Anna Goldsworthy’s award-winning writing to date will be delighted – and far from surprised – to find that many of the notable qualities of her nonfiction and memoir writing are adroitly deployed in her debut novel, Melting Moments…
We Were Never Friends by Margaret Bearman
I approached this book curiously, thinking, ‘Why George Coates?’ The George Coates I know of was a distinguished war artist, who worked in London and Paris, where he met, and married, fellow art student Dora Meeson. He died in 1930…
Sweetness and Light by Liam Pieper
Liam Pieper’s unsettling, atmospheric second novel, Sweetness and Light, is set first on the west coast of India and later on the east. We initially encounter Australian expat Connor, who is ostensibly a dive instructor in the semi-isolated tourist…
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