[[louis-nowra]]‘Me name is Hannah O’Brien and I be seventy-six years old. Me first thing is an apology – me language is bad cos I lost it and had to learn it again …’

So begins Hannah’s profound and compelling story of survival, family, love and belonging, a story that captivated me until long after I’d mourned and cried at its unforgettable and devastating conclusion.

Now an old woman, Hannah tells the story of two little girls (herself and her older friend Becky) stranded in the Tasmanian wilderness, but who are rescued and adopted by a pair of Tasmanian tigers.

What follows is an intense and remarkable exploration of dislocation and connection, as the girls abandon their human ways, exchanging their native tongue for barks and coughs. Over time they learn the true meaning of loyalty and family and discover the simple pleasures of shelter, a warm patch of earth, the sunlight on their skin and a full belly.

The first young adult novel from Louis Nowra, a widely celebrated playwright and author, Into That Forest is an extraordinarily imaginative and mesmerising story that snared me completely; day turned into night as I inhaled 170 pages in one sitting.

Highly recommended.

Athina Clarke