Australian fiction
The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover
The Last Man in Europe, the debut novel from political speechwriter and academic Dennis Glover, follows the life of George Orwell, from 1936 when he was finishing his underrated novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying, through his fighting in…
Half Wild by Pip Smith
In her first novel, Pip Smith imaginatively recreates the life of Eugenia Falleni, a female-to-male transgender person who captivated Sydney in 1920 when Eugenia, living as Harry Crawford, was arrested for the murder of Annie Birkett, his wife, who disappeared…
The Gulf by Anna Spargo-Ryan
This is a book that tears your heart out. At times you may even stop reading, and flinch, as if the words on the page could physically hurt you. Yet, for all that, it is lucid and contained. Anna Spargo-Ryan…
No More Boats by Felicity Castagna
No More Boats follows two previous works of fiction by Australian author Felicity Castagna: a collection of short stories and a YA novel, which won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. This latest is a family drama about an unconventional breakdown…
Argosy by Bella Li
In my other life, as a poetry editor for a youth-oriented quarterly journal, I consistently find myself frustrated by the lack of works in the Australian poetry scene that dabble in the historical. Bella Li’s debut poetry collection, Argosy…
Gravity Well by Melanie Joosten
We are told not to judge a book by its cover, but the stunning image on the cover of Melanie Joosten’s Gravity Well portrays her compelling protagonists exactly as they are when the novel opens. Eve, distressed and alone, has…
Some Tests by Wayne Macauley
When Beth wakes one morning feeling a bit off, she decides not to push through what could just be the malaise of modern life. Instead, she sees a doctor. From there her life quickly unravels as she trails around the…
Ache by Eliza Henry-Jones
Eliza Henry-Jones signed a three-book deal with Harper Collins, making her debut novel, In the Quiet, a much anticipated release in 2015. It even made it onto the shortlist for our very own Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction…
Closing Down by Sally Abbott
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Sally Abbott’s debut Closing Down since I finished reading it. Abbott has crafted a grim vision of a not-too-distant future world, where climate change and population growth have spun the planet into…
The Last Garden by Eva Hornung
The Last Garden is the highly anticipated new novel from Eva Hornung. Her last novel, Dog Boy, was shortlisted for numerous prizes and won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award in 2010. With The Last Garden, Hornung picks up…
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