Charlotte Wood has recently been named the winner of this year’s Stella Prize for her fifth novel, The Natural Way of Things. Here’s a look over her earlier books for readers who loved this novel, and now want to explore her backlist.

(I haven’t included Wood’s 1999 debut novel, Pieces of a Girl, as it is sadly out of print. However, this is a great excuse to visit your local second-hand bookshop!)

The Submerged Cathedral (2004)

Spanning many years, travelling across Australia’s vast continent and through some of Europe’s great cities, The Submerged Cathedral is a beguiling, heartbreaking story of paradise and the fall; of faith, sacrifice and atonement; and of sisterly love and rivalry.

This sophomore novel from Wood was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. The judges described it as, ‘finely wrought… convincing, and profoundly moving’.

The Children (2007)

When their father is critically injured, foreign correspondent Mandy and her siblings return home, bringing with them the remnants and patterns of childhood. Wood exposes the tenacious grip of childhood, the way siblings seem to grow apart but never do, and explores the price paid for bearing witness to the suffering of others – whether far away or uncomfortably close to home.

The Children is Wood’s third novel, and it was the first book of hers I ever read. It also happens to be my favourite. It’s a tense, gripping read that really highlights Wood’s talent for plotting narratives that build to surprising, deeply satisfying conclusions.

Brothers and Sisters (2009)

Brothers and Sisters is a collection of stories about siblings from a slew of Australian writers – both established and new. Wood acted as editor for this anthology and also contributed a story of her own, ‘The Cricket Palace’. You can read an interview with her about putting the book together here.

This anthology is an terrific offering of Australian talent. There’s stories from Tegan Bennett Daylight, Cate Kennedy, Robert Drew, Christos Tsiolkas – to name a few. And fans of Nam Le’s The Boat will love his moody and evocative contribution, 'The Yarra’.

Animal People (2011)

Set in Sydney over a single day, Animal People traces one day in the life of Stephen – aimless, unhappy, unfulfilled, and with no idea how to make his life better. The novel is at once a portrait of urban life, a meditation on the conflicted nature of human-animal relationships, and a masterpiece of storytelling.

Animal People is a sharp, darkly funny read that deservedly appeared on numerous Awards lists – including being longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. I loved reading it.

Love and Hunger (2012)

In Love and Hunger, Wood shares 25 personal essays that range from the practical to the contemplative, from the consoling to the celebratory. It’s a warm, generous read that will very likely make you hungry.

If you’re interested in getting a taste of what Love and Hunger, has to offer you should be sure to visit Wood’s blog, How to shuck an oyster, in which she write about her life in the kitchen.

The Natural Way of Things (2015)

Brenda Walker, Chair of the Stella Prize judging panel, says…

‘ The Natural Way of Things is a novel of – and for – our times, explosive yet written with artful, incisive coolness. It parodies, with steely seriousness, the state of being visible and female in contemporary Western society. With an unflinching eye and audacious imagination, Charlotte Wood carries us from a nightmare of helplessness and despair to a fantasy of revenge and reckoning. The Natural Way of Things is a riveting and necessary act of critique.’