A captivating and thoughtful crime novella which interrogates ongoing racism and guilt in contemporary Australia. No One begins in Redfern, when a man feels a thud against his car and doesn’t stop. There’s blood and a dent on his car but when he returns to the scene, the road is empty. Beautiful craftsmanship by John Hughes.
The Van Apfel Girls are Gone | Felicity McLean | $ 32.99 | HarperCollins | John’s Pick We were blessed to launch Felicity McLean’s superb and captivating debut novel (her ghost-writing past having put her in good stead). A mysterious, gothic and blackly humorous interweaving of memory and childhood trauma, with Tikka, the marvellous child narrator, struggling with doubt and the lingering unanswered questions about the Van Apfel girls’ disappearance. It’s Jasper Jones meets Picnic at Hanging Rock. Perfect for book clubs.
Eight Lives | Susan Hurley | $29.99 | Affirm Press | John’s Pick
River of Salt | Dave Warner | $29.99 | Fremantle Press | Alisha’s Pick
A cultured and gripping thriller that keeps you on edge till the very last. Based on a real life drug trial that ended in catastrophe, Eight Lives explores the mystifying death of David Tran, a former refugee and so-called ‘Golden Boy’ of Australian immunology who had discovered a drug that could change medicine. The story is told by David’s friends, family and colleagues, but all have different motivations and none of them have all the facts. A classy and highly addictive read.
The Shining Wall is a gritty dystopian novel that explores what it takes to survive in an elitist, fractured world. Ferguson delves into what it means to be a woman, a sister and a friend in a society that is crumbling around you (sound familiar?) which is divided literally, by a wall. A fiercely feminist book that weaves power, love and survival in a post-apocalyptic universe.
Gingerbread | Helen Oyeyemi | $29.99 | Pan Macmillan | Olivia’s Pick While Gingerbread takes its inspiration from many familiar fairy-tales (have you ever before realised just how many of them feature gingerbread, and what that might mean?), Oyeyemi skillfully twists her new novel into a masterpiece of unsettling excellence that gestures towards its roots through allegory and magic realism. Embrace Oyeyemi’s wit and hyperreality and be rewarded with a wonderfully written, transporting novel about a mother and daughter and their family legacy.
If Tim Winton and Nicholas Pileggi had a love child, this book would be it. From the winner of the Ned Kelly award for Best Fiction comes River of Salt, an original and intriguing Aussie crime book that captures both the essence of coastal life and the thrill of a classic murder mystery. Warner has written another nail-biting novel and pulled off the impressive feat of turning a criminal from Philadelphia into an allround likeable Aussie bloke.
The Migration | Helen Marshall | $19.99 | NewSouth Books | Kate’s Pick Storms and flooding are worsening around the world and a previously unknown immune disorder is spreading amongst children. When Sophie’s little sister is diagnosed, their mother moves the family to Oxford to live with her historical epidemiologist sister, who is working to unravel the mystery of this illness. The Migration is at once an unsettling and immersive dark fantasy and an incredibly moving portrait of sisterhood.
The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel | Margaret Atwood | $49.99 | Random House | Emma C’s Pick Praise be! Atwood’s modern classic is given a vivid and powerful new life as a graphic novel with the help of artist Renée Nault. Whether you’ve never read the book or you’re a long-time Atwood fan, this adaption is enthralling. Nault’s style enriches the story and adds to the haunting, foreboding atmosphere Atwood so incredibly describes. The illustrations are chillingly good. Potent reading!
SCI-FI/FANTASY/GRAPHIC NOVELS
The Shining Wall | Melissa Ferguson | $29.99 | NewSouth Books | Olivia’s Pick
CRIME FICTION
No One | John Hughes | $24.99 | NewSouth Books | Emma C’s Pick
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