Book Reviews
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.
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Inspired by the author’s family history, this historical novel transports us to Malaya during World War II, where ordinary lives are swept up in espionage, betrayal and the quest for survival.
Others Were Emeralds by Lang Leav
This perceptive coming-of-age novel illuminates the impacts of war, racism and interpersonal conflict.
The Scope of Permissibility by Zeynab Gamieldien
A coming-of-age story that traverses faith, desire and double standards through the perspectives of three Australian Muslim university students.
Naming the Beasts by Elizabeth Morton
In this beautiful and brutal poetry collection, the boundaries between animal and human, subject and object, hunter and hunted, are not as we think.
City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
All the residents of this isolated Alaskan city live in one high rise apartment building. When a gruesome murder takes place, everyone becomes a suspect.