Australian Fiction reviews
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 …
Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe
Although Stone Sky Gold Mountain is only Mirandi Riwoe’s second work of literary fiction (her first, Fish Girl, was shortlisted for the Stella Prize), she has also written three historical crime nove…
The Loudness of Unsaid Things by Hilde Hinton
Reading The Loudness of Unsaid Things, I was reminded of two other debut novels that I have also reviewed: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. With both those book…
The Adversary by Ronnie Scott
With his debut novel The Adversary, Ronnie Scott has gifted readers the most relatable coming-of-age narrative I’ve encountered in some time. With a hot and empty Melbourne summer ahead our unnamed p…
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). Orig…
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
To write this review, obviously, I had to have completed reading the book and that is the sadness for me because I did not want it to end. This absorbing story that incorporates lexicography, diction…
Sheerwater by Leah Swann
Leah Swann’s debut novel is literary fiction with the tempo of a crime novel. Told over three dramatic days, even astute readers will be stunned by the conclusion.
Ava, the mother of two young boys…
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 depl…
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 wor…
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 year…
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