Australian fiction
Portable Curiosities by Julie Koh
Comprising twelve darkly funny and allegorical stories spanning spec-fic, black comedy and mock journalism, Sydney writer Julie Koh’s Portable Curiosities is full of biting reimaginings of Australian culture and history that throw into sharp focus the uncomfortable realities of contemporary…
Out of the Ice by Ann Turner
Prior to reading Ann Turner’s novel Out of the Ice, I read Helen Garner’s article ‘Regions of Thick-Ribbed Ice’, which gave me a vivid impression of the sense of disorientation (especially in relation to memory and time) often felt…
The Paper House by Anna Spargo-Ryan
Anna Spargo-Ryan’s debut novel, The Paper House, is a tender evocation of a marriage, an imperfect family and a community. Spargo-Ryan’s ability to create characters for whom the reader is wholeheartedly barracking provides much of this novel’s charm.
Heather…
Our Tiny, Useless Hearts by Toni Jordan
Toni Jordan’s latest novel, Our Tiny, Useless Hearts, is a romp through the contemporary complexities of living well. Very quickly, Jordan introduces us to a cast of wonderfully flawed characters all trying desperately to live honestly and without regret…
The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith
Among my favourite reads are works that source inspiration for subject material from the art world. Works such as Alex Miller’s Prochownik’s Dream or Paul Morgan’s Turner’s Paintbox draw on the rich cultural heritage of artistic life and bring depth…
Dodge Rose by Jack Cox
In 1982, Eliza arrives in Sydney with little more than a letter in her hand. She has come to settle the affairs of her recently deceased aunt, Dodge. On arrival she encounters Maxine, who is perhaps her cousin – no…
An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire
The NSW Riverina town of Strathdee is fictional, but that doesn’t stop the setting of Emily Maguire’s fifth novel from being all too real. The storyline is familiar too, both in fiction and reality – the young and pretty Bella…
We Ate the Road Like Vultures by Lynnette Lounsbury
When I was about seventeen, I read a passing reference to Jack Kerouac in a novel to the effect that we all grow out of our Kerouac phases towards the end of adolescence. At the time I was scandalised, but…
One by Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland’s latest novel, One, charts the final days of the Keniff brothers, James and Patrick, Australia’s last bushrangers, and their antagonist Sergeant Nixon, a man obsessed by bringing them to justice. Loosely based on real events, the plot…
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
The intriguing title of Georgia Blain’s new novel, Between a Wolf and a Dog, comes from a French expression, L’heure entre chien et loup: the hour between dog and wolf. Referring to the twilight moments between day and…
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