The 2014 Miles Franklin shortlist has been announced!
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
Partially inspired by his father’s time spent working on the Thai-Burma death railway during WWII Flanagan’s novel is one of savage beauty. Our reviewer says, “Like Dorrigo, we feel an immense weight of loss, but what ultimately sticks is that this, at times near unbearably, is a wholly human novel”.
The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane
One morning Ruth wakes thinking a tiger has been in her seaside house. Later that day a formidable woman called Frida arrives. Both woman and tiger are here to stay, and neither is what they seem. Our reviewer says, “As readers we hold tight, cautious that a very real foreboding presence is now lapping at Ruth’s feet”.
My Beautiful Enemy by Cory Taylor
Arthur Wheeler is haunted by his infatuation with a Japanese youth he encountered in the enemy alien camp where he worked as a guard during WW2 and, abandoning his family, sets out on a doomed mission. Our reviewer writes, “There’s a sadness underlining the story, quiet and yet surging, which is reminiscent of a Kazuo Ishiguro novel”.
Eyrie by Tim Winton
Divorced and unemployed, Tom Keely has lost faith in everything precious to him. Until an awkward encounter with a woman from his past and a young boy changes everything. Our reviewer writes, “The writing is elegant and admirably true to where it’s from; Winton crafts poetry from the salty Australian vernacular”.
The Swan Book by Alexis Wright
Oblivia Ethylene is our guide through Wright’s nightmarish vision of Australia’s future, one ravaged by climate change and extreme politics. Our reviewer writes, “There are beautifully constructed passages where Wright positions the land like a living creature, volatile and moving with as much fierce energy as the operatic cast of characters”.
All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
Set between Australia and a remote English island, All the Birds, Singing is the story of one how one woman’s present comes from a terrible past. Our reviewer writes, “The beauty, simplicity and tension of Wyld’s prose, and her skill at reflecting Jake’s moods against the weather and wildlife of her severe surroundings, are exquisite”.
The winner will be announced on Thursday 26 June. Please visit the
