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...
ROBYN BISHOP The Rust Red Land. Reviewed by Ann Skea

ROBYN BISHOP The Rust Red Land. Reviewed by Ann Skea

Through the story of Matilda, Robyn Bishop’s novel reveals the constrained lives of women in rural New South Wales in the late 1800s. It is July 1892 and Matilda is just old enough to help Clara out of her cot, change her nappy and dress her, but not old enough to...
SUSAN McCREERY All the Unloved. Reviewed by Ann Skea

SUSAN McCREERY All the Unloved. Reviewed by Ann Skea

Susan McCreery’s novel recounts the lives of the residents of a block of flats in 1990s Bondi and the complexities of love. A few short sentences and a scene is set, a mood caught, a character revealed: all this is beautifully done. Then short passages are linked...
JO RICCIONI The Rising. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley

JO RICCIONI The Rising. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley

The conclusion to Jo Riccioni’s high fantasy series The Branded Season brings Nara and her sister Osha to the Shadow City of Reis. This exciting sequel to The Branded concludes a thought-provoking and fast-paced story about two sisters finding their place in a harsh,...