Review
Siang Lu imagines a comic dystopia in this labyrinthine new novel
Ghost Cities challenges readers to make sense of life on a huge film set where everyone is both a citizen going about their business and an actor.
- by Owen Richardson
Latest
The great Australian war stories that didn’t actually happen
In his new book, Mark Dapin demonstrates that the truth and war are uncomfortable partners.
- by Edmund Goldrick
Why do women fall for violent men in jail? This novel has an idea
Tasha Coryell’s main character is a young woman who writes increasingly intimate letters to a man facing charges of murdering several women.
- by Jessie Tu
Why adapting is the key to survival in the face of climate change
Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld have written a necessary book for a world subject to the ravages of climate change.
- by Kurt Johnson
This beautiful memoir beats with a radically open heart
Ailsa Piper’s salts her sorrow with spiritual longing in this subtle book about living with grief.
- by Michael McGirr
And you thought the Taylor Swift tour was bonkers...
A new book celebrating 60 years since the Beatles toured Australia is the deepest dive into the Fab Four you could imagine.
- by Michael Dwyer
A darkly funny debut novel and the inner life of teenage girls
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Ten great books we’re excited to read in July
From a highly anticipated poetry collection to a mind-bending debut, here are the books we’re looking forward to this month.
- by Melanie Kembrey
Bestselling author’s sweet novel explores the human need for love
A safe escape from the world, Alexander McCall Smith’s new novel, like all his works, is grounded in an optimistic world view.
- by Kerryn Goldsworthy
Editing secrets of literature’s greatest authors
From Jane Austen’s abandoned novel to the first line of John le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, manuscripts give us fascinating insight into the creative process.
- by Simon Caterson
This novel is a fable of language, silence and connection to the land
Lia Hills’ moody new novel is an intricate tale of the land and the people in it.
- by Helen Elliott
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/book-reviews-1q4