Book Reviews
How to Dodge Flying Sandals and Other Advice for Life by Daniel Nour
Nour’s memoir is a moving read about finding oneself amidst the chaos of a loving yet intrusive family.
Their Borders, Our World: Building new solidarities with Palestine ed. by Mahdi Sabbagh
An urgent and moving anthology of contemporary global voices from the Palestine Festival of Literature.
The Sun Was Electric Light by Rachel Morton
Disillusioned by her life in New York, Ruth slips away to a lakeside town in Guatemala to seek the elusive promise of happiness and belonging.
Invisible Wasp by Stephanie Powell
Stephanie Powell’s third poetry collection is an introspective and sensuous meditation on being alive.
Past & Parallel Lives by Kaya Ortiz
If time is a woven cloth, then Kaya Ortiz’s debut award-winning poetry collection sets out to unravel it.
Peripathetic: Notes on (un)belonging by Cher Tan
An essay collection that interrogates migration, belonging and art under capitalism – but does it bite off more than it can chew?
Signs of Damage by Diana Reid
With her third novel, Reid dives deep into the internal worlds of her characters, exploring trauma, memory and relationships.
Mother Tongue by Naima Brown
Mother Tongue follows Brynn Mitchell as a freak accident flips her language – and her life – inside out.
First Name Second Name by Steve MinOn
Steve MinOn’s debut novel opens with a startling premise: our main protagonist has died – or has he?
Matia by Emily Tsokos Purtill
Emily Tsokos Purtill’s debut novel Matia (2024) is an evocative and deeply moving family saga that spans four generations and three continents.
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty
A quietly affecting second novel that delves into identity, belonging and intergenerational grief.
Words To Sing The World Alive ed. by Jasmin McGaughey and The Poet’s Voice
An anthology of forty First Nations writers, thinkers, artists and journalists celebrating First Nations languages around the continent.
She’s Not Normal by Koraly Dimitriadis
Unpolished and unrelenting, Koraly Dimitriadis’ latest non-conforming poetry collection explodes out of the page.
CryBaby by Mabel Gibson
This debut collection of micro memoir from Yamatji author Mabel Gibson offers 56 perfectly formed snippets detailing her evolving sense of self and place in the world.
The Knowing by Madeleine Ryan
Set across one hot Melbourne summer day, we track Camille as she deals with challenges, insecurities and hopes for the future.
The Sunbird by Sara Haddad
The Sunbird (2024) is an indie novella that has quickly captured the hearts and minds of thousands seeking to understand the Palestinian experience.
If Movement Was a Language by Svetlana Sterlin
Sterlin’s poetry draws on her passion for swimming to consider displacement, dispossession and home.
The Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt by Mark Mupotsa-Russell
A twisty, genre-flipping thriller that puts a former assassin turned suburban mum front and centre.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki, trans. by Polly Barton
More than a simple thriller, Butter masters something more critical and sinister as Yuzuki brings to light the issue of unrealistic beauty standards for women in Japan.
No Church In The Wild by Murray Middleton
A bold and unflinching novel that doesn’t shy away from examining racism in contemporary Australia.