The Heart is a Star (Megan Rogers, HarperCollins)

The Heart is a Star is the captivating debut novel by talented writer Megan Rogers. We are introduced to anaesthetist Layla Byrnes, a middle-aged woman struggling to reconcile her career, family life, troubled mother and needy lover. The story begins with Byrnes getting a call from her mother, who is hinting that she might kill herself. Could it be another one of her mother’s empty threats? Not wanting to take the chance, Layla leaves her contempt aside to fulfil her duty as a daughter, travelling from Queensland alongside her eccentric aunt Dawn to the far west coast of Tasmania, hoping to prevent the worst. Through Rogers’ powers of description and refined sense of place, the reader is transported to the island’s harsh environment and a small community where not much has changed. This book is an intimate journey through Layla’s point of view. Her conflicting love and anger towards her mother contrasts sharply with her grief and unfaltering love for her late father. She is a flawed yet deeply relatable character. The Heart is a Star is a powerful novel with evocative and enticing language that will appeal to readers of Richard Flanagan and Holly Ringland. Rooted in feminine empowerment, Rogers’ debut is necessary and enthralling reading, and will stay with the reader long after the last page.

Read our interview with author Megan Rogers about The Heart is a Star here.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Ana Brawls is a librarian, book reviewer and emerging writer who lives on Wadandi Boodja/Margaret River. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews