MAY CONTAIN MARKUP

By Constance Briscoe

"Ugly" by Constance Briscoe is a powerful memoir that delves into the author's harrowing journey through childhood abuse, discrimination, and resilience. Briscoe vividly recounts her turbulent upbringing in a broken home, navigating racism and neglect with unwavering determination. Through her raw and unflinching storytelling, she sheds light on the insidious impact of trauma and the enduring strength of the human spirit. "Ugly" is a testament to the triumph of hope over adversity, offering a poignant and courageous exploration of one woman's quest for healing and self-acceptance.

GB. Hodder and Stoughton. 2006. 443p.

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Robert Drewe

Aged six, Robert Drewe moved with his family from Melbourne to Perth, the world's most isolated city – and proud of it. This sun-baked coast was innocently proud, too, of its tranquillity and friendliness.

Then a man he knew murdered a boy he also knew. The murderer randomly killed eight strangers – variously shooting, strangling, stabbing, bludgeoning and hacking his victims and running them down with cars – an innocent Perth was changed forever.

In the middle-class suburbs which were the killer's main stalking grounds, the mysterious murders created widespread anxiety and instant local myth. 'The murders and their aftermath have both intrigued me and weighed heavily on me for three decades. To try to make sense of this time and place, and of my own childhood and adolescence, I had, finally, to write about it.'

The result is The Shark Net, a vibrant and haunting memoir that reaches beyond the dark recesses of murder and chaos to encompass their ordinary suburban backdrop.

London. Penguin. 2001. 343p.