The next month or two looks pretty exciting in terms of new Australian literary novels being published — and for once I’ll be on the right side of the planet to buy them when they come out.
Here are six books I’m eagerly awaiting, namely because I’ve read and loved other books by these authors in the past.
They have been arranged in alphabetical order according to author’s surname. Please note that the blurbs, some of which I’ve cut slightly, have been taken direct from the publishers’ own websites, as have the publication dates (which are subject to change).
Silver by Chris Hammer
For half a lifetime, journalist Martin Scarsden has run from his past. But now there is no escaping. He’d vowed never to return to his hometown, Port Silver, and its traumatic memories. But now his new partner, Mandy Blonde, has inherited an old house in the seaside town and Martin knows their chance of a new life together won’t come again.
Martin arrives to find his best friend from school days has been brutally murdered, and Mandy is the chief suspect. With the police curiously reluctant to pursue other suspects, Martin goes searching for the killer. And finds the past waiting for him.
Published by Allen & Unwin in Australia on 1 October. Due to be published by Wildfire in the UK on 9 January 2020.
There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett
Prague, 1938: Eva flies down the street from her sister. Suddenly a man steps out. Eva runs into him, hits the pavement hard. His anger slaps Eva, but his hate will change everything, as war forces so many lives into small, brown suitcases.
Prague, 1980: No one sees Ludek. A young boy can slip right under the heavy blanket that covers this city — the fear cannot touch him. Ludek is free. And he sees everything. The world can go to hell for all he cares because Babi is waiting for him in the warm flat.
Melbourne, 1980: Mala Li ka’s grandma holds her hand as they climb the stairs to their third floor flat. Here, Mana and Bill have made a life for themselves and their granddaughter. A life imbued with the spirit of Prague and the loved ones left behind.
Favel Parrett’s deep emotional insight shines through in this love letter to the strong women who bind families together, despite dislocation and distance.
Published by Hachette Australia in Australia on 24 September. Due to be published by Sceptre in the UK on 20 February 2020.
Maybe the Horse will Talk by Elliot Perlman
Stephen Maserov has problems. A onetime teacher, married to fellow teacher Eleanor, he has retrained and is now a second-year lawyer working at mega-firm Freely Savage Carter Blanche. Despite toiling around the clock to make budget, he’s in imminent danger of being downsized. And to make things worse, Eleanor, sick of single-parenting their two young children thanks to Stephen’s relentless work schedule, has asked him to move out. To keep the job he hates, pay the mortgage and salvage his marriage, he will have to do something strikingly daring, something he never thought himself capable of. But if he’s not careful, it might be the last job he ever has…
Published by Penguin in Australia on 1 October. There is no date available for the UK — as yet.
Bruny by Heather Rose
The new novel from the author of the award-winning The Museum of Modern Love.
A right-wing US president has withdrawn America from the Middle East and the UN. Daesh has a thoroughfare to the sea and China is Australia’s newest ally. When a bomb goes off in remote Tasmania, Astrid Coleman agrees to return home to help her brother before an upcoming election. But this is no simple task. Her brother and sister are on either side of politics, the community is full of conspiracy theories, and her father is quoting Shakespeare. Only on Bruny does the world seem sane — until Astrid discovers how far the government is willing to go.
Published by Allen & Unwin in Australia on 30 September. There is no date available for the UK — as yet.
Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas
Christos Tsiolkas’ new novel Damascus takes as its subject nothing less than events surrounding the birth and establishment of the Christian church. Based around the gospels and letters of St Paul, and focusing on characters one and two generations on from the death of Christ, as well as Paul (Saul) himself, Damascus nevertheless explores the themes that have always obsessed Tsiolkas as a writer: class, religion, masculinity, patriarchy, colonisation, exile; the ways in which nations, societies, communities, families and individuals are united and divided. In Damascus, Tsiolkas has written a historical novel of immense power and an unflinching dissection of doubt and faith, tyranny and revolution, and cruelty and sacrifice.
Published by Allen & Unwin in Australia on 28 October. Due to be published by Atlantic in the UK on 5 March 2020.
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
Four older women have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three. Can they survive together without her?
They are Jude, a once-famous restaurateur, Wendy, an acclaimed public intellectual, and Adele, a renowned actress now mostly out of work. Struggling to recall exactly why they’ve remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for Christmas at Sylvie’s old beach house — not for festivities, but to clean the place out before it is sold.
Without Sylvie to maintain the group’s delicate equilibrium, frustrations build and painful memories press in. Fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface — and threatens to sweep away their friendship for good.
Published by Allen & Unwin in Australia on 15 October. Due to be published by W&N in the UK on 25 June 2020.
Are there any on this list that have piqued your interest?
I have the Charlotte Wood on order, and first thing in the morning, well not quite, they open late, I’ll place an order for Bruny. Tsialkos is good, but the bible’s been done to death. I’ll skip that one for a couple of years until it’s on audio book.
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Can’t say I’ve read any Bible Stories… I’ve had basically no religious education… so this will all be new to me 😊
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I’m so pleased to see that the Parrett wil be published in the UK. Thanks for providing that information, Kim.
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No worries… I love the cover on this one 😊
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“The Weekend” is the one that looks most attractive to me. What a good range of writing this list encompasses, though!
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The range of writing probably reflects my eclectic tastes 😉 I think The Weekend is the most anticipated novel on this list — not just by me, but by loads of Wood’s fans. I’ve read her entire back catalogue and every book is vastly different from the one that preceded it.
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Great list!
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Thanks… these lists almost write themselves…
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I was already planning to add Bruny and There Was Still Love to the reading pile and I may also add Silver as well. One book which I’m definitely looking forward to is Emma Viskic’s third Caleb Zelic novel, Darkness For Light. It’s due out in December, just outside your two month limit.
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I’ve only read Viskic’s first one… I liked it, but not enough to make me rush out to read the next one…
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I had similar thoughts in relation to first Chris Hammer. I’ll still probably read his second.
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I’m looking forward to the one by Heather Rose and will be buying the Eliot Perlman for sure:)
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I’ve been lucky enough to score a review copy of the Heather Rose — I’ll be buying all the others (or borrowing them from the library)
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I have read and enjoyed a couple of Elliot Perlman novels (Three Dollars and Seven Types of Ambiguity), so I will be watching for ‘Maybe the Horse Will Talk’ when it comes over here which probably won’t be for awhile.
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Not sure if you have a Kindle, but I think the Perlman will be available in the US as a Kindle version on 1 October. I’m not sure if a print version will be available at that time.
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I have a Kindle but I have never used it. 🙂
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That’s so funny! I use mine when I need to read without disturbing others by turning on the light… and it’s handy when I go on holiday, but it’s not my preferred way of reading books…it’s just a handy option.
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The Wood, Parrett, Rose and Perlmann are at the top of my list. After them, I’ll get to the Tsiolkas.
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I think the Tsiolkas will be the last one I read, too.
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Some really big hitters here so hopefully even those without a UK release date will get here eventually! The Parrett &Wood look great so I’m pleased they’re definitely on the way – I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the Rose too as I really liked TMoML.
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I’d be very surprised if the Rose didn’t make it to the UK in the very near future…
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