Australian fiction
Where I Slept by Libby Angel
Described as a work of autofiction, Where I Slept is firmly set in 1990s Melbourne and its streets, share houses, op-shops, squats, pubs, clubs, and cafes. Its narrator is found making and remaking her identity in the city in the…
Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John
Elyse John’s Orphia and Eurydicius is a sumptuous, gender-bending retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice. It celebrates the queer magic of storytelling and also women’s voices in an epic adventure across ancient Greece. Having previously published a…
After the Rain by Aisling Smith
After the Rain is Aisling Smith’s debut novel, and it amply demonstrates her ability to write well and create complex and likeable characters. Most of the book is from the perspective of Malti, a woman who came from Fiji to…
Search History by Amy Taylor
Search History is a dark, comedic retelling of Rebecca for the modern age, exploring the influence of social media in our relationships, our sense of identity, and our understanding of the lives of others.
Nothing seems to be going right…
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
Clover is no stranger to death. They first met when her kindergarten teacher suddenly died during a reading of Peter Rabbit. Then her parents died in a boating accident, their bodies never to be found. Years later, Clover has…
Anam by André Dao
Anam, the debut novel by Melbourne writer André Dao, is told through the eyes of a human rights lawyer who has paused his life in Melbourne to return to study in Cambridge, England. With his young family in tow…
The Albatross by Nina Wan
Whistles, a rather pathetic nine-hole golf course somewhere in suburban Melbourne, is dying. It is about to be swallowed up by a developer and for Primrose Li, her newly discovered escape will soon be gone. Primrose doesn’t remember exactly why…
Naked Ambition by Robert Gott
A youngish up-and-coming minister gets his portrait painted, a bit bigger than life size. He takes delivery of the canvas, hangs it on his living room wall, stands back admiringly, and when his wife gets home, he presents it to…
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
This story begins in July 1914, several years after Esme hid her first word in The Dictionary of Lost Words. Another young woman is hard at work, this time at the Oxford University Press. The Press was (and still…
Prettier if She Smiled More by Toni Jordan
In a recent interview about writing, Toni Jordan talks about the importance of humour in conversations and within novels. She says it builds resilience and helps with anxiety. I could not agree more. Reading works by Jordan, famous for her…
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