Book Reviews
The Dominant Animal by Kathryn Scanlan
The tragicomic narratives in this short story collection border on fable-like, where much is left unsaid and readers are left to consider their own moral takeaways.
The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt
Winner of the 2023 Stella Prize, this powerful and heartbreaking poetry collection explores Holland-Batt’s grief over losing her father to Parkinson’s.
Bad Art Mother by Edwina Preston
Good mothers are selfless. Artists are selfish. So what does this mean for a mother with artistic ambitions?
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
A fierce, heartbreaking novel about a devastating toxic relationship and the dangers of obsessive love.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
Inspired by real-life art heists, this intricate and compelling novel explores imperialism, diaspora and identity.
Funny Ethnics by Shirley Le
A darkly funny debut on growing up in Western Sydney, family and belonging.
Hydra by Adriane Howell
A wickedly original debut about a woman on the edge: mysterious, compelling and with lashings of dark humour.
Graft by Maggie MacKellar
Maggie MacKellar’s third memoir explores the beauty and terror of motherhood, and a year on the land.
Little Plum by Laura McPhee-Browne
Electric, dark and obsessive, Mcphee-Browne’s second novel explores motherhood and psychosis.
The Matchmaker by Saman Shad
An engaging and refreshing debut rom-com that ticks all the boxes.
The Lonely Stories ed. by Natalie Eve Garrett
22 celebrated writers – from Jhumpa Lahiri to Lena Dunham – explore the joys and struggles of loneliness in the 21st century.
Friends & Dark Shapes by Kavita Bedford
A subtle and tender read delving into the limbo of late-twenty-somethings trying to make it all work.
Some Days the Bird by Heather Bourbeau and Anne Casey
Two poets. One year. 52 poems. This collection is an ode to a sense of survival and the discovery of the things that fuel us when the world goes dark.
Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson
A coming of age story for two teenagers over a fateful summer, set against a backdrop of secrecy and a national pop culture moment.
Everyone Is Everyone Except You by Jordan Hamel
Hamel’s debut poetry collection revels in hilarity, awkwardness and contradictions.
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
Pacy and thrilling, Hepworth’s new novel leads the reader through the twists and turns of complicated family relationships.
This Devastating Fever by Sophie Cunningham
A struggling author is haunted by Leonard and Virginia Woolf as the 20th and 21st centuries collide.
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
Ma’s short story collection ventures into the surreal, the unknown and the unexpected.
An Ordinary Ecstasy by Luke Carman
Exaltation and banality are at the core of this short story collection, where ‘ordinary’ Australians experience life’s raptures and ruptures.
Resilience ed. by Michelle Cahill, Monique Nail and Anthea Yang
Mascara Literary Review’s first print anthology brings together a collection of rich and varied writing that offers a complex portrait of what it means to be resilient.