Australian fiction

Feast by Emily O’Grady

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

With her second book, Feast, Emily O’Grady has delivered a story of mystery: of the kind of people we become in order to keep our secrets hidden, and of what happens when the truth is finally unearthed.

Alison is…

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I Look Forward to Hearing from You by Nick Bhasin

Reviewed by Jennifer Varela

Set in early 2000s when Britney and Justin were still together (yes, Nick Bhasin goes there), Hector, a Puerto Rican–Indian American moves to Hollywood to pursue his destiny. His dream is to be a screenwriter who gets his TV script…

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Where I Slept by Libby Angel

Reviewed by Alison Huber

Described as a work of autofiction, Where I Slept is firmly set in 1990s Melbourne and its streets, share houses, op-shops, squats, pubs, clubs, and cafes. Its narrator is found making and remaking her identity in the city in the…

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Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John

Reviewed by Stephanie King

Elyse John’s Orphia and Eurydicius is a sumptuous, gender-bending retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice. It celebrates the queer magic of storytelling and also women’s voices in an epic adventure across ancient Greece. Having previously published a…

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After the Rain by Aisling Smith

Reviewed by Annie Condon

After the Rain is Aisling Smith’s debut novel, and it amply demonstrates her ability to write well and create complex and likeable characters. Most of the book is from the perspective of Malti, a woman who came from Fiji to…

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Search History by Amy Taylor

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

Search History is a dark, comedic retelling of Rebecca for the modern age, exploring the influence of social media in our relationships, our sense of identity, and our understanding of the lives of others.

Nothing seems to be going right…

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The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

Clover is no stranger to death. They first met when her kindergarten teacher suddenly died during a reading of Peter Rabbit. Then her parents died in a boating accident, their bodies never to be found. Years later, Clover has…

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Anam by André Dao

Reviewed by Justin Avery

Anam, the debut novel by Melbourne writer André Dao, is told through the eyes of a human rights lawyer who has paused his life in Melbourne to return to study in Cambridge, England. With his young family in tow…

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The Albatross by Nina Wan

Reviewed by Kate McIntosh

Whistles, a rather pathetic nine-hole golf course somewhere in suburban Melbourne, is dying. It is about to be swallowed up by a developer and for Primrose Li, her newly discovered escape will soon be gone. Primrose doesn’t remember exactly why…

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Naked Ambition by Robert Gott

Reviewed by Bernard Caleo

A youngish up-and-coming minister gets his portrait painted, a bit bigger than life size. He takes delivery of the canvas, hangs it on his living room wall, stands back admiringly, and when his wife gets home, he presents it to…

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