Biography and memoir
The Shape of Sound by Fiona Murphy
‘The hearing world rarely welcomes deaf bodies,’ writes Fiona Murphy in her heartbreakingly honest memoir The Shape of Sound. Murphy kept secret that she is deaf in her left ear for 25 years. In her debut, she explores the…
Lapsed by Monica Dux
Monica Dux is a funny woman. Thank God, because in Lapsed she is taking on the world by examining the Catholic way of life from all angles. Dux does what so many goodfeminist writers do: she makes the personal political…
Car Crash: A Memoir by Lech Blaine
Blaine is sitting in the passenger seat of a 1989 Ford Fairlane, surrounded by six of his mates (two piled in the boot). It’s 2009, and the group of teenagers are driving home from a house party in Toowoomba, Queensland…
My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend by Tracey Thorn
In 1983, backstage at the Lyceum in London a young and terrified Tracey Thorn was grappling with insecurity and inexperience. With her band on the verge of breaking up, Thorn was close to tears when the door to her dressing…
Sex, Lies and Question Time by Kate Ellis
Well, this book could not have come at a better time, could it? Sex, Lies and Question Time came to me for review hot on the heels of International Women’s Day, allegations of horrific sexual assaults at the heart of…
Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota
You may recall an article in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2018 about a junior doctor resigning from the Australian public health system due to burnout. Rostered up to 20 consecutive days in a row, clocking well over 100 hours…
My Year of Living Vulnerably by Rick Morton
One of the reasons I love Rick Morton’s writing is because he is not afraid; he will tell you how it was, how it is and why. It’s the reason he’s such a terrific reporter for The Saturday Paper, and…
Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
I cannot speak highly enough of contemporary Australian poetry, and Evelyn Araluen’s debut collection Dropbear is no exception. Araluen is the recipient of several awards and fellowships, including the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, the Judith Wright Poetry…
Group by Christie Tate
Christie Tate, by most objective measures, is a success. She’s graduating top of her class from law school and is well on her way to a high-powered career. But underneath her veneer of control lies an unsettled body and mind…
One Day I’ll Remember This: Diaries 1987–1995 by Helen Garner
This is the second volume of Helen Garner’s Diaries to be published and covers the years 1987–1995. The Helen in these entries is more mature, more established, and perhaps not as happy. Professionally, things are going well. She’s working on…
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