Australian fiction
What the Light Hides by Mette Jakobsen
Mette Jakobsen is an expert in creating images – her second novel, What the Light Hides, begins in a dream-like state, as David wakes in his Blue Mountains home: ‘Night still floats in the morning light. A thick and…
Where the Trees Were by Inga Simpson
Our head book buyer, Alison, handed me a copy of Inga Simpson’s latest novel, Where the Trees Were, and said, ‘You have to read this, I know you’ll love it.’ How right she was! Alison and I share a…
Our Magic Hour by Jennifer Down
Jennifer Down’s Our Magic Hour is a brilliant Australian debut. Intimate, raw and occasionally heartbreaking, this is a book that demands to be devoured quickly, but stayed with me long after I finished the final page.
The story develops out…
The Light on the Water by Olga Lorenzo
The Light on the Water will be perfect for book groups – it explores many current issues and yet it is a page-turner. The novel opens with Anne Forster spending her first night in gaol after being arrested for the…
A loving, faithful animal by Josephine Rowe
One of the many threads that run quietly through the background of Josephine Rowe’s first novel is the idea of holidays – Easter, New Year, times of year that are meant to bring families together, the individual rituals of each…
Hold by Kirsten Tranter
Sitting on my desk, Kirsten Tranter’s latest book, Hold, looks a lot like my copy of her first book, The Legacy. It’s heavily post-it noted, dog-eared, and contains lengthy criticism in its margins. It sits here, asking me…
Sing Fox to Me by Sarah Kanake
Sing Fox To Me is one of those novels where there is a symbiotic connection between the lives of the characters and the natural environment they inhabit. This is a powerfully atmospheric work that evokes the cold, wet earthiness of…
Wildlight by Robyn Mundy
Robyn Mundy’s novel Wildlight had me wishing to visit Maatsuyker Island (Maat) off the southern coast of Tasmania, despite its cold, wild, wet and windy nature. Sixteen-year-old Stephenie West is about to relocate there with her parents, as they become…
The Midnight Watch by David Dyer
It’s been said before that the three most written about subjects in the English language are God, war and the Titanic. When I met the author of The Midnight Watch, David Dyer, I asked him why we continue…
The High Places by Fiona McFarlane
When asked ‘What do you think makes a good story?’ Fiona McFarlane replied, ‘The best stories take a leap into another life, and threaten to strand us there.’ After reading McFarlane’s collection of short stories I admit I was more…
Browse our reviews by category
