KIRSTY ILTNERS Depth of Field. Reviewed by Ann Skea

KIRSTY ILTNERS Depth of Field. Reviewed by Ann Skea

Winner of the 2023 Dorothy Hewett Award, photographer Kirsty Iltners’ first novel explores both darkness and light. If you want to freeze something fast, you increase the shutter speed – but it makes the image darker. Tom’s memories of his first encounter with Adeline...
JESSIE TU The Honeyeater. Reviewed by Ann Skea

JESSIE TU The Honeyeater. Reviewed by Ann Skea

The second novel from the author of A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing unpeels secrets in the life of a young Taiwanese translator. Fay’s widowed Taiwanese mother brought her to Australia when she was still a baby. Now, Fay is a well-qualified translator, teaching at...
KATE KRUIMINK. Heartsease. Reviewed by Sally Nimon

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...
LAUREN CHATER The Beauties. Reviewed by Ann Skea

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...