We’re delighted that Fiona McFarlane’s short story collection is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Here’s why we think you should read this book.

1. The High Places is a stunning work of literary fiction.

Fiona McFarlane is an exquisite writer – effortlessly readable with a richness that belies the simplicity of her prose. Our Prize Judges place her within the tradition of the the greats of the short form: think Alice Munroe and Elizabeth Harrower. In this collection, she gives us 13 elegantly-formed stories that will delight and surprise readers in turn.

2. Fiona McFarlane is brilliantly inventive and these stories are wide-ranging.

This story collection has a real diversity of themes and characters, from a young girl in rural Queensland who feels her world tilt when American soldiers parachute in during World War II, to a vet who has a car accident on her wedding day while travelling to treat a sick cat.

3. The stories carry an emotional heft with a light touch.

While McFarlane tackles some big themes in her work (isolation, familial relationships, grief), she does to with such a deft touch, you’ll hardly notice – at least, not until you turn the final page and the pieces all fall into place. The High Places is a powerfully restrained and nuanced work of fiction that never hits your over the head, but instead slowly builds up to a climax.

4. For readers wary of short stories, The High Places is a terrific entry point into this area of literature.

If you’re a self-avowed novel reader who feels wary of dipping into the short form, The High Places is an excellent starting point. The ideas are sophisticated, the writing is accomplished and, as our Hawthorn bookseller Annie Condon writes, the stories themselves are ‘loaded with plot’.

5. This is the second time Fiona McFarlane has been shortlisted for our Prize.

The High Places is the second time we’ve been captured by McFarlane’s memorable writing style. Her astonishing first work, The Night Guest was shortlisted for our inaugural Prize back in 2014. It was also shortlisted for – and won – numerous other awards. When you read her work for yourself, you won’t be surprised as to why her name keeps cropping up.

Find the full Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist here, and don’t forget you can buy all six of our wonderful shortlistees in a specially-priced pack.