Book Reviews
Butter by Asako Yuzuki, trans. by Polly Barton
More than a simple thriller, Butter masters something more critical and sinister as Yuzuki brings to light the issue of unrealistic beauty standards for women in Japan.
No Church In The Wild by Murray Middleton
A bold and unflinching novel that doesn’t shy away from examining racism in contemporary Australia.
The Little Clothes by Deborah Callaghan
The liberating and stifling invisibility of middle age is at the heart of this darkly humorous novel.
A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle
Over three decades, two lives unfold in parallel, dealing with the big questions of desire, queerness, conformity and love.
Sugar: An Ethnographic Novel by Edward Narain and Tarryn Phillips
Where crime fiction meets colonial legacy in Fiji's diabetes crisis.
When Cops Are Criminals ed. by Veronica Gorrie
This blistering anthology reckons with the violence and corruption endemic to contemporary policing.
When The Forest Finds You by Lonnie Stabile
This poetry collection uses horror movie references and tropes to disect sexual violence and its aftermath.
The Beauties by Lauren Chater
A masterclass in storytelling, this sumptuous historical novel centres around art, love and the power of feminine beauty.
A Place Between Waking and Forgetting by Eugen Bacon
A Place Between Waking and Forgetting is a magical, mysterious tour de force of Black speculative fiction.
My Husband by Maud Ventura
My Husband is a trip into the darkest depths of one woman’s mind, exploring the lengths she will go to be loved.
The Rewilding by Donna M Cameron
This fast-paced eco thriller dives into grief, loss and hope in a changing world, perfect for fans of Sharlene Allsopp and Eleanor Catton.
Ordinary Human Love by Melissa Goode
Ordinary Human Love is a book for those who love quiet novels, with a suble interrogation of grief, regret and finding purpose.
Hera by Jennifer Saint
Saint humanises the Queen of Olympus in a story brimming with justice, loss, feminine strength and suffering.
The Murder After the Night Before by Katy Brent
Molly Monroe wakes up with the worst hangover of her life. When she discovers a racy video of her has gone viral and her best friend is dead, things take a wild turn.
Go Lightly by Brydie Lee-Kennedy
A charming debut that captures the messiness of being in your twenties, and the importance of familial and platonic love.
Politica by Yumna Kassab
Kassab beautifully carves out space for humanity, tenderness and promises amidst a world veering between idealism and armed struggle.
Bellies by Nicola Dinan
An effervescent debut about queer love, being seen and how we see others.
Appreciation by Liam Pieper
This witty novel exposes the underbelly of the art world and a complex portrait of queer identity.
Supper Club by Lara Williams
A novel of appetites, where a ravenous club of women come together to indulge their hunger, satisfy their desires and take up space.
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
A scintillating debut novel about one woman’s obsession with appearances – and what happens when it all comes crashing down.