By Eleanor Catton

New York Little Brown. 2013. 834p.

The novel begins with the arrival of Walter Moody, a young Scottish lawyer, in Hokitika, where he stumbles upon a meeting of 12 local men. Each of these men has a different story to tell about a recent series of events involving theft, deception, and possible murder. As the novel progresses, their stories become increasingly entangled, and Moody finds himself drawn into the intricate web of secrets and lies that surround them.

Catton uses a range of narrative techniques, including astrology and multiple points of view, to create a complex and layered narrative. The novel also explores a range of themes, including class, race, gender, and the pursuit of wealth and power in a frontier society.

By Robert Harris

London. Hutchinson. 2003. 341p.

The novel is set against the backdrop of the impending eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which eventually destroys the city of Pompeii and leads to the death of thousands of its inhabitants. Harris uses meticulous historical research to bring the city and its inhabitants to life, and the novel provides a vivid and immersive portrayal of life in ancient Rome.

The novel also explores themes of greed, corruption, and political intrigue, as Attilius uncovers a conspiracy involving the corrupt aquarius in charge of Pompeii's water supply, as well as the wealthy and powerful Pompeian elite. The novel's suspenseful plot and vivid descriptions of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius create a gripping and immersive reading experience.

By Michelene Lee

Melbourne, Australia.Black Publishing. 2016. 293p.

As Aunty Party's family and friends gather for a weekend of prayer and healing rituals, the novel explores themes of faith, family, and the complex relationships that exist within communities. It also delves into issues of culture, identity, and the impact of colonialism on indigenous communities in Australia.

Through the character of Aunty Party, the novel explores the role of faith and spirituality in providing comfort and guidance to individuals and communities facing difficult challenges. It also raises important questions about the intersection of traditional indigenous beliefs with Western religious practices, and the ongoing impact of colonization on the spiritual and cultural practices of indigenous Australians.

By D. H. Lawrence

Kangaroo is D. H. Lawrence's eighth novel, set in Australia. He wrote the first draft in just forty-five days while living south of Sydney, in 1922, and revised it three months later in New Mexico. The descriptions of the country are vivid and sympathetic and the book fuses lightly disguised autobiography with an exploration of political ideas at an immensely personal level. Based on a collation of the manuscript, typescripts and first editions, this text of Kangaroo is closest to what Lawrence would have expected to see in print. There is a full textual apparatus of variants, a comprehensive introduction giving the background and history of composition and publication and a summary of contemporary reviewers' opinions. Explanatory notes elucidate the many geographical, political and literary allusions in the text; there are three maps and an appendix detailing Australian locations.

London. Thomas Seltzer Inc. 1923. 367p.

By Alex Miller

Following the sudden end of her marriage, Annabelle Beck returns from Melbourne to the sanctuary of her old family home in North Queensland. There, on an archaeological survey, she discovers that the aboriginal field officer, Bo Rennie, knows her from her childhood. Initially intrigued by his old-fashioned manners, she finds herself increasingly captivated by his modest assurance that he holds the key to her future. Eventually she sets out with him on a path of discovery that leads back to her childhood and to the uncovering of family secrets that have lain buried for a generation or more, secrets that will challenge their future together and force them to question whether their love can survive the terrible knowledge they have come to possess.

NSW. Aust. Allen and Unwin.2002. 327p.

By Courtney Collins

This moving debut novel was inspired by the life of Australian Elizabeth Jessie Hickman, a runaway convict born in 1820. In Collins poetically reimagined tribute, 22-year-old Jessie is on the run after killing her brutal husband. She has recently given birth to a stillborn child whose spirit is somehow tethered to her mother and who narrates the story. Jessie has already lived a dramatic life; she once worked as a circus acrobat and then as a horse rustler but is now desperate to escape the posse of men who want to hang her for murder. While she runs, she thinks of her short, sweet relationship with the Aboriginal stockman Jack Brown, whose gentle ways were a welcome relief from the beatings administered by her drunken husband. She finds an idyllic camp in the mountains made up of desperate boys who steal horses and thinks she might finally have found a refuge, but the lawmen are not far behind. This intense read, with dark undertones of death and foreboding, contains breathtaking descriptions of the Australian bush and a lyrical homage to Jessie’s desperate quest for freedom.

NY. Berkley Books. 2012. 284p.

By Katharine Susannah Prichard

From the jacket: No writer has painted a more vivid picture of the tragic meeting of primi­tive and civilized humanity than Katharine Susannah Prichard in Coonardoo. First published in 1929, this remarkable novel has become an Australian classic, as moving in its deli­cate portraiture of an aboriginal girl as it is revealing in its authentic know­ledge of the outback scene in north­western Australia. The little black girl Coonardoo and the boy Hugh are childhood play­mates, and the relationship that gradually develops from their early bond is compelling and disastrous. Coonardoo has her tribal partner; Hugh, the station-owner, must marry. This drama is played out in the deserts and cattle country of the north­west, a cruel story redeemed by the poetic quality-of Coonardoo and her devotion to the man whose race dealt so harshly with hers.

Melbourne. Angus and Robertson. 1929.

By Robert Barnard

“The perfect gem, one you wouldn’t change
a word of Los Angeles Times

Professor Belville-Smith had bored university au­diences in England with the same lecture for fifty years. Now he was crossing the Australian continent, doing precisely the same. Never before had the reaction been so extreme, however; for shortly after an undistin­guished appearance at Drummondale University, the doddering old professor is found brutally murdered. As Police Inspector Royle (who had never actually had to solve a crime before) probes the possible motives of the motley crew of academics who drink their way through the dreary days at Drummondale and as he investigates the bizarre behavior of some worthy lo­cals, a hilarious, highly satirical portrait of life down under emerges!’ —St. Louis PbstHDispatch.

London Collins. 1977. 190p.

By Markus Zusak

The Dunbar boys bring each other up in a house run by their own rules a family of ramshackled tragedy their mother is dead their father has fled they love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world. It is Clay, the quiet one, who will build a bridge; for his family, for his past, for his sins. He builds a bridge to transcend humanness. To survive A miracle and nothing less. Markus Zusak makes his long-awaited return with a profoundly heartfelt and inventive novel about a family held together by stories, and a young life caught in the current: a hoy in search of greatness, as a cure for a painful past. “‘Brilliant and hugely ambitious...the kind of book that can be life changing.” The New York Times. “‘Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told.” Guardian. ‘Zusak’s novel is a highwire act of inventiveness and emotional suppleness’ The Australian.

Australia. Picador Macmillan. 2018. 581p.

By Tim Winton

In the 1990s Tim Winton made his mark through tough spare stories about youth and promise; of early age parenthood and the challenges of loyalty. Now almost 20 years since his last collection he returns to the form with 17 overlapping stories of second thoughts and mid-life regret set in the brooding small town world of coastal WA. Brilliantly crafted and as tender as they are confronting these ellagic stories examine the darkness and frailty of ordinary people and celebrate the moments when the light shines through.

Picador. Australia. Pan Macmillan. 2004. 317p.

By Pierre Magnan

Translated from the French by Patricia Clancy. “It is June 1945. The war is over. As dawn breaks over the hills of Provence, Pierrot, a 15-year-old boy, stumbles across the body of Capitaine Patrocle, a local hero of the Resistance. He has been murdered. In his wallet Pierrot finds a letter written on blue paper, which he conceals beneath his beret. It provides the key to the dramatic events that lie at the heart of this haunting story of illicit passions and pitiless revenge, and leads, ultimately, to the boy’s association with the beautiful Madame Henry and his introduction to the mysteries of love. “ ‘Magnan’s evocation of sun-baked landscapes and small-town Provencal life, still smarting from
the Occupation and the Vichy betrayals, is superb.’ The Times.

London.. Vintage. 1999. 254p.