Summer has managed to sneak up on us! We’ve read some great books this year from Australian authors that would make fantastic summer reads, and compiled a selection of our favourite literary fiction titles to add to your reading list.
Ordinary Matter – Laura Elvery
Short stories inspired by the twenty times women have won the Nobel Prize for science. Some abstract, some literal, with a devastating heatwave in Paris, a baby washed up on the beach, Marie Curie visiting the Grand Canyon and the changing family involvement in a corn parade. These stories are beautifully written and inspiring.
The Tolstoy Estate – Steven Conte
If you prefer to read about colder climates during the warmer months, this one’s for you! In WWII Russia, with the doomed German invasion, doctor Paul Bauer has arrived at the previous home of Leo Tolstoy. He encounters writer Katerina Trubetzkaya, who is now the estate’s caretaker. In a devastating winter, relationships begin to unravel.
Song of the Crocodile – Nardi Simpson
A spiritual, astonishing novel that won the 2018 black&write! fellowship. Three generations of the Billymil family are trying to survive in the town of Darnmoor, home of the Yuwaalaraay people. This troubled community may be changing forever. Ancestral spirits visit to guide the family through grief and loss in this visceral tale.
Kokomo – Victoria Hannan
Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript Award, this is a remarkably crafted novel. After trying to start a new life halfway around the world, Mia receives a sudden call advising that her mother has now left the house for the first time in years. She returns to Melbourne to find that her idea of home has changed and her life is not as she remembered. A beautifully written story of loss and home.
The Mother Fault – Kate Mildenhall
Touted as a literary thriller, The Mother Fault is a page-turner and a masterpiece. Set in the not too distant future where everyone’s movements are tracked, Mim is forced to flee for her life and to protect her children when her husband goes missing. Her journey takes her beyond Australia to a dangerous sea voyage. Exquisitely told.
State Highway One – Sam Coley
Winner of the 2017 Richell Prize for Emerging Authors, this is powerful novel on grief, loss and healing, and finding your way home. Alex returns to New Zealand after the sudden death of his parents, and finds himself on a road trip with his twin sister Amy. A journey from north to south along State Highway One does not go as planned.
The Animals in that Country – Laura Jean Mackay
This somewhat prescient novel details a flu in an outback community where, once people become infected, they can understand animals. Wildlife carer Jean finds herself struggling to survive, along with her granddaughter and Sue the dingo. An ingenious reflection on society and our relationships with the natural world.
Looking for more recommendations? Get in touch on bookgroups@cae.edu.au and keep an eye out for our general fiction recommendations next month!