Australian fiction
Little Plum by Laura McPhee-Browne
Little Plum journeys through the life of Coral, who discovers she is pregnant after a one-night stand. Early on, she decides to keep the baby, following her secret desire to become a mother, and yet she refers to it only…
Shirley by Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott’s first novel, The Adversary, was published in the unfortunate time of April 2020, one of many debut writers whose dreams of launching their book and appearing at events were dashed by what felt like endless lockdowns. Scott’s new…
Maggie by Catherine Johns
Maggie is a powerful coming-of-age story about the sudden transition from childhood to adulthood, the pain of losing one’s innocence, and of rebuilding oneself to keep on surviving for at least one more day.
Set in 1960s Australia, Maggie attends…
Tiny Uncertain Miracles by Michelle Johnston
Michelle Johnston is an emergency physician and an author, whose author profile online ends with the line: ‘she is occupied searching for the beauty and awe in an often-brutal reality.’ Her new novel, Tiny Uncertain Miracles, indeed seems to…
Salonika Burning by Gail Jones
Having won numerous literary awards, and been shortlisted three times for the Miles Franklin, Gail Jones once again showcases her talent for writing memorable characters and poignant storylines with this latest work of historical fiction, Salonika Burning.
It is…
The Lovers by Yumna Kassab
What happens after we fall in love with someone? When the excitement has softened into comfort? When that giddiness melds into familiarity and the butterflies have flown away? How does one describe the feeling of loving someone and continuing to…
Willowman by Inga Simpson
Every now and then you watch or read something that takes you completely by surprise. Maybe it was Friday Night Lights, and suddenly you found yourself caring about American football. Or maybe it was the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive…
A Brief Affair by Alex Miller
Alex Miller’s website has a section about writing. There he states: ‘The serious novel is an act of imaginative truth and requires the writer to confront unclear aspects of the self; to delve, in other words, into the unconscious and…
Seeing Other People by Diana Reid
Diana Reid’s 2021 novel Love and Virtue was an outstanding debut that saw Reid named one of Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Novelists of the Year. At first, her new novel, Seeing Other People, looks to be a light-hearted…
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
Robbie Arnott is a tremendously talented and unique voice in Australian literature, and his third novel, Limberlost, exceeded all my expectations. It is a gorgeously written coming- of-age novel, set in a Tasmanian river valley. Ned’s two brothers are…
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