Book Reviews
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.
rock flight by Hasib Hourani
An epic meditation on mourning, loss and dispossession by a Lebanese-Palestinian poet.
Potty Mouth, Potty Mouth by Alex Creece
Screaming, crying, throwing up: this debut poetry is a hilarious and visceral exploration of selfhood, queerness and neurodivergence.
She is the Earth by Ali Cobby Eckermann
This divine verse novel by a celebrated First Nations poet explores birth, death and grief, while thrumming with life.