GEOFFREY ROBERTSON The Trial of Vladimir Putin. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck
Geoffrey Robertson argues that the United Nations needs to establish a new court in order to bring Vladimir Putin to justice. Geoffrey Robertson is an internationally renowned lawyer specialising in human rights, and is a champion of the role of the courts in...
KATE KRUIMINK. Heartsease. Reviewed by Sally Nimon
Set in an old house in the Tasmanian countryside, nothing is quite as expected in this second novel from Vogel-winner Kate Kruimink. The first thing to say about Heartsease is that – despite its title – it is not a comforting read. This is a story about loss...
NOVA WEETMAN Love, Death and Other Scenes. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
Nova Weetman’s memoir about the loss of her husband and its impact on her family is both intimate and surprisingly uplifting. Nova Weetman has written a beautiful book about death and being left behind. I was moved by the story of the passing of her partner,...
NATALIE BAYLEY Bone Rites. Reviewed by Sandra Nichols
The protagonist of Natalie Bayley’s novel embarks on an unusual and increasingly dangerous quest to honour the brother she lost in childhood. They are hanging me tomorrow … Each second is an eternity. I cannot sleep, I cannot eat. I lie wretched on the bed while...
LAUREN CHATER The Beauties. Reviewed by Ann Skea
Set in 17th-century London, Lauren Chater’s new novel brings together a royal artist, a young woman’s quest and the real-life Anne Hyde. What do you do if the king invites you to share his bed but you find the idea repulsive? A wave of nausea ripples through her...
GABRIELLE ZEVIN Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Reviewed by CJ Pardey
Gabrielle Zevin’s bestselling novel set in the world of game designers has a lot to say about writers, too. In Macbeth’s soliloquy beginning ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,’ Macbeth foreshadows his own death, the finality of it and the ephemerality of life....
OLIVER K LANGMEAD Calypso. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
Oliver K Langmead combines science fiction with poetry to deliver a fresh and thought-provoking take on the genre. Just when you think you have come across every possible version and trope of the generation-ship (taking hundreds of years to take colonists to a new...
LEIGH BARDUGO The Familiar. Reviewed by Ann Skea
The bestselling creator of the Grishaverse turns to the history of 16th-century Spain for this story of a young woman with magical powers. If the bread hadn’t burned, this would be a very different story. So it would. Luzia would not have used her magical skills, Doña...
BRADLEY TREVOR GREIVE and CAROLINE LANER BREURE Broken Girl. Reviewed by Jessica Stewart
This memoir of a young woman’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury becomes an unputdownable detective story. Broken Girl, Caroline Laner Breure’s memoir written with Bradley Trevor Greive, opens with light, breezy snapshots of a young woman ready to burst forth...
JOHN WISWELL Someone You Can Build a Nest In. Reviewed by Robert Goodman
John Wiswell gives an outsider’s view of human behaviour in this novel of a shape-shifting monster told with violence and dark humour. John Wiswell must be in the running for title of the year for his debut fantasy novel Someone You Can Build a Nest In. The title not...
2024 Sydney Writers Festival book giveaway!
There’s a ton of great writers appearing at this year’s Sydney Writers Festival, which opens next week, and we have a very special book pack to give away. To go into the draw to win all FIVE titles by writers appearing at the festival, simply email...
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