Book Reviews
My Brilliant Sister by Amy Brown
Through the story of Linda, Stella Miles Franklin’s forgotten sister, Brown explores the choices women face when they decide whether to pursue careers, passions and motherhood.
Desertion by Abdulrazak Gurnah
This masterful 2005 novel by Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah explores the personal and political legacies of colonisation through three interconnected stories.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
This debut offers a fresh, insightful and subtly humorous perspective on identity, grief and transformation in rural China.
The Flirtation of Girls / Ghazal el-Banat by Sara M Saleh
In this deeply personal and political collection, Saleh explores the experiences of three generations of her family, Arab-Australian Muslim women, moving between worlds.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
This Miles Franklin-winning novel explores trauma, migration, racism and imperialism in Australia and Sri Lanka.
The Best Australian Science Writing 2023 edited by Donna Lu
A fascinating anthology of all the latest science, from the climate crisis to genetic mutations to astronomy.
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.
The Secrets of the Huon Wren by Claire Van Ryn
This debut novel from awarded writer Claire Van Ryn follows the story of two women whose lives become intertwined in ways neither could have imagined.
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.
She Doesn’t Seem Autistic by Esther Ottaway
This diverse poetry collection by established poet Esther Ottaway does not shy away from exposing society’s stereotypes. Ottaway skilfully weaves lyricism and imagery into complex issues, health conditions and experiences, so each poem forms part of a much needed story.
The Modern by Anna Kate Blair
Scrutinising sexuality, marriage and relationships, Anna Kate Blair’s debut novel is the very portrait of our disenchanted, modern world.
Gunflower by Laura Jean McKay
Laura Jean McKay’s latest short story collection combines heart-breaking revelations and inverted realities to strip bare the undeniable truths of very real issues.
Can’t I Go Instead by Lee Geum-yi
This epic historical novel explores the stories of two women, their lives entwined through the tumultuous events of World War II and the Korean War.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Romantic Comedy is both a love letter to the genre, and a tongue-in-cheek exploration of some of the stereotypical tropes that define it.
The Days Toppled Over by Vidya Madabushi
Vidya Madabushi’s incredible debut grapples with familial separation, mental health, and navigating the unknown. It gives a voice to the experiences of international students, not shying away from exposing the hardships and challenges they face daily.
West Girls by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s fourth novel is a blunt exposé on girlhood, stripping bare self-worth and beauty to encourage us to question it’s value, as our narrator comes to realise it will only get her so far.
But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
Jessica Zhan Mei Yu’s debut novel explores belonging in a new, enthralling world and delves deeply into the complexities of girlhood.
Kill For Love by Laura Picklesimer
Hailed as the ‘female American Psycho’, this novel that will delight fans of the genre while adding a fresh twist to an old narrative.
the body country by Susie Anderson
Award-winning poet Susie Anderson’s collection of poems is a deeply evocative experience capturing marginalisation, connection and love.