Wednesday, 24 January 2018
‘This exquisite and affecting allegory is another masterful Margaret Wild and Freya Blackwood collaboration that is greater than the sum of its parts’ … read Anica Boulanger-Mashberg’s full review here.

Wednesday, 17 January 2018
‘Readers’ enjoyment will hinge on how invested they become in Blake’s moral conflict, but Hangman is ghoulish fun, and fills the Dexter– and Hannibal-shaped holes in our lives’ … read...

Wednesday, 10 January 2018
‘Best known for his novel Mister Pip, New Zealand writer Lloyd Jones’ latest offering is a compelling if unsettling read. The language is simple and reflective, as befits the teenage narrator,...

Wednesday, 13 December 2017
‘It is testament to debut author Tracy Sorensen’s talent that, against all odds, choosing to have a galah narrate her novel never becomes gimmicky. Somehow the reader suspends disbelief and...

Wednesday, 6 December 2017
‘Yes, the hero of Jack Heath’s debut adult novel is a cannibal detective. Readers able to abide this grisly affliction will easily lose themselves in this dark, bone-rattling thriller. Those...

Wednesday, 29 November 2017
‘A Timeline of Australian Food expertly fills a gap in our understanding of Australian food history. If there is a quibble, it is only that the reader is often left wanting...

Wednesday, 22 November 2017
‘Rather than simply recounting Gibson’s story, Donelly and Toscano contextualise her meteoric rise to fame by situating it at the nexus of several forces—a burgeoning, whitewashed wellness industry that eschews...

Tuesday, 14 November 2017
‘The structure is powerful: one person tells a story, perhaps mentioning someone else, who in turn tells their version, and then perhaps Tracker has his say—so in the end the reader...

Thursday, 9 November 2017
‘Her writing is evocative, and while her gaze is focused inward, it remains attentive to the world at large’ … read Robert Wood’s full review here.

Wednesday, 25 October 2017
‘These essays, which sit under 100 pages, combine literary criticism, biography and interview. They’re so well crafted that you don’t need to be a fan of either subject to enjoy...

Wednesday, 18 October 2017
‘Set across a single night—New Year’s Eve 1938, and the increasingly hallucinatory early morning hours that follow—the novel’s pervasive air of menace is propelled not only by the endless dark...

Wednesday, 11 October 2017
‘The Life to Come is Michelle de Kretser’s first novel since her Miles Franklin Literary Award-winning Questions of Travel in 2012, and it affirms her as a writer of great...

Wednesday, 4 October 2017
‘Fans of The Dry will enjoy this gripping page-turner, although it lacks some of the satisfying detective work of her debut’ … read Andrea Hanke’s full review here.

Wednesday, 27 September 2017
‘Call of the Reed Warbler has echoes of Thoreau’s Walden, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Jared Diamond’s Collapse, and will appeal to anyone interested in issues of sustainability and environment....

Wednesday, 20 September 2017
‘Written in sparse, immediate language from multiple perspectives, it is the result of 20 years of research and writing by Alizadeh. His intense admiration of and fascination with Jeanne is...

Wednesday, 13 September 2017
‘The Trauma Cleaner is no ordinary trauma narrative: we see how the infliction of multiple traumas has left this fascinating woman uniquely placed to restore order among the despair of others’...

Wednesday, 6 September 2017
‘Reading the beautiful language and realising its meaning would be affecting enough, but combined with the superb illustrations, it becomes sublime’ … read Margaret Hamilton’s full review here.

Wednesday, 30 August 2017
‘Blain notes that, with this book, she joins Cory Taylor (Dying: A Memoir) and Jenny Diski (In Gratitude) in an emerging subgenre of the illness memoir. Despite this grim context,...

Wednesday, 23 August 2017
‘Loosely based on the true story of the asbestos town, Wittenoom, and written with a poet’s instinct for language, Lois Murphy has created a unique, haunting and atmospheric tale in...

Wednesday, 16 August 2017
‘Three books in one, The Book of Dirt is a remarkable tale of Holocaust survival, love and genealogical sleuthing by a grandson intent on finding the truth about his grandparents’...

Wednesday, 9 August 2017
‘There is much to appreciate in this brave adventure and warts-and-all romantic tale, not least Jobbins’ candour and gutsy self-analysis. The issues that arise are real; how do you begin...

Wednesday, 2 August 2017
‘Sofie Laguna is a writer who can wrench beauty even from the horror of a child caught up in the toxic world of bastardised masculinity. Fearsome, vivid and raw, her...

Wednesday, 26 July 2017
‘It is difficult to overstate the importance of this concise, convincingly argued view of our world’s prospects for its survival and improvement over the next 33 years (ie to 2050)’...

Wednesday, 19 July 2017
‘The Town is understated but compelling; the narrator’s deadpan voice recalls the lone existentialist figures of Sartre’s Nausea and Camus’ The Outsider, but contrasts this with a dream logic reminiscent...

Wednesday, 12 July 2017
‘With precise and beautiful prose, the short stories in Jennifer Down’s Pulse Points carry an emotional clarity and intensity that is truly impressive’ … read Kate McDonell’s full review here,...

Wednesday, 5 July 2017
‘Ned Kelly Award-winner Jock Serong creates a sense of foreboding from the very start of his third novel, and then constantly ratchets up the tension with a keen sense of...

Wednesday, 28 June 2017
‘All of her characters—a diverse cast of different races and faiths—are searching for connection or a sense of belonging, and coming up short’ … read Hilary Simmons’ full review here,...

Wednesday, 21 June 2017
‘This excellent biography will appeal to general readers, students and anyone interested in historical biography’ … read Chris Harrington’s full review here.

Thursday, 15 June 2017
‘Pip Harry doesn’t shy away from some heavy topics … but Because of You is ultimately a hopeful story about human resilience and the life-changing power of discovering your best friend’ … read...