From the winner of the Penguin Literary Prize and the Kathleen Mitchell Award.
A multigenerational family story with a dose of magical realism. It is about family secrets, art, very mild superpowers, loneliness and the strange connections we make in the places we least expect.
How do you make sense of the loss of those you love most?
Delia Rabbit has asked herself this question over and over again since the disappearance of her older sister, Bo. Crippled by grief, Delia and her mother became dysfunctional, parting ways not long after Delia turned eighteen.
Now an art teacher at a Queensland college, Delia has managed to build a new life for herself and to create a family of her own. Only more and more that life is slipping: her partner, Ed, has gone, her daughter, Olive, is distancing herself, and, all of a sudden, in the middle of a blinding heatwave, her sixteen-year-old son, Charlie, disappears too.
Suddenly what was buried feels close to the surface, and the Rabbits are faced not only with each other, but also with themselves.
The Rabbits is a multigenerational family story with a dose of magical realism. It is about family secrets, art, very mild superpowers, loneliness and the strange connections we make in the places we least expect.
There is magic to be found in a story that is written with such a pointed and achingly real depiction of what it means to be part of a family, to experience a loss, and to know how to rediscover an identity you thought was long gone. The Rabbits encapsulates so much in its blisteringly honest characters. Each member of the family has their own insecurities, a need to be connected to something and mend relationships that have been broken either by losing a person's physical presence, or simply the absence of any true substance even when someone is standing right next to you. Set against the sweltering heat of a Queensland summer and with an original, well-executed twist of magical realism, Overett draws you in from the very first scene and from there it's very hard to let go as the pages fly by.
You're no good at this, a voice tells her, and no, Delia thinks, she's not. She wants to tell him she's done this before. That she's been Benjamin and she's been Olive. That she's desperately searched, and been bitterly angry, but none of it brings back someone who won't be found, and sometimes the not knowing is better than the truth, because at least it means there's a chance. Her chest tightens, constricts to such a degree that she feels light-headed, and she leans back, putting her hand on the kitchen island to steady herself.
While the string of missing people in the Rabbits' family life is a central aspect of the novel, what makes this book such a success is the way every character is invested in equally. From Delia's voice as a mother, reflecting on the disappearance of her sister Bo all those years ago, to her mother now slipping away with dementia and old age, Olive rebelling in the early phases of adulthood, and Ben navigating all the drama as a ten year old, every character's voice is portrayed in so much detail. It's rare to find a book that has this combination of both adult and child shifts in perspective which is achieved so seamlessly. You feel as though you've stepped right into the lives of the Rabbits where each secret is ripped open with tender prose that is a pleasure to read.
There is something to be said also about the creativity of including even the slightest hint of something supernatural in the story. While some works may try too hard or stray beyond into fantasy where it doesn't quite hit the mark, Overett here uses these twists of magical realism to add even more interest and make it just to the threshold of being conceivable. I won't put any spoilers here, but just know that it's clever and done well!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Rabbits is as creative as it is addictive to read. Fiction by Australian authors has always been promising for me, and I'm so glad that I picked this one up. The Rabbits is full of mystery, insights on troubled family ties and with a satisfying end, making Sophie Overett one to watch!
About the author
Sophie Overett is an award-winning writer, editor, podcaster
and cultural producer. Her stories have been published in Griffith Review,Going
Down Swinging,Overland,The Sleepers Almanac,and elsewhere. She won the 2018
AAWP Short Story Prize, and her work has been shortlisted for multiple awards,
including the Text Prize and the Richell Prize. She’s passionate about
storytelling in all of its forms, but particularly stories for the page and the
screen. She writes across genres and formats, with a focus on magical realism,
literary fiction and horror. The Rabbits, her debut novel, is the
winner of the 2020 Penguin Literary Prize, and her first screenplay, All
the Little Fishes,has been optioned by Cathartic Pictures. For more
information, visit sophieoverett.com.
From the author of beloved Top Ten bestsellers The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club and The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle comes a delightful new novel about friendship, love and finding yourself.
Far North Queensland, 1993: At 74, former cane farmer Grace Maud is feeling her age, and her isolation, and thinks the best of life may be behind her. Elsewhere in town, high school teacher Patricia has given up on her dreams of travel and adventure and has moved back home to look after her ageing parents, while cafe owner Dorothy is struggling to accept that she may never have the baby she and her husband so desperately want. Each woman has an unspoken need: reconnection. And that's how they find themselves at Orange Blossom House, surrounded by perfumed rainforest, being cajoled and encouraged by their yoga teacher, the lively Sandrine. Together, they will find courage and strength - and discover that life has much more to offer than they ever expected.
Set amid the lush beauty of tropical Queensland, Thursdays at Orange Blossom House is a heartwarming story of friendship and family, of chances missed and taken, and the eternal power of love.
Thank you to Hachette Australia for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
A layered and smoothly woven story of the bonds between three women who are brought together in unlikely circumstances, Thursdays at Orange Blossom House sings to the tune of an afternoon breeze and time to ponder what our expectations of our identities in life are and the people we want to become. Sophie Green has already showcased her ability to write well in the genre with The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club and The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle. In this book she brings to life the cane fields in Cairns in the 1990's and sense of place as forming a home, the longing for motherhood, quest for self-discovery as an adult and how old age doesn't preclude the making of new friends.
What might happen if women really succumb to their pain? To the anguish of not getting what they really want, either because they've been told they can't have it, or because nature is conspiring against them? Or sometimes because life just seems so hard that what they see is an unscalable peak, always in sight yet beyond their reach.
At the beginning of the story we're introduced to Grace Maud, whose life has been one on the fields but her son is beginning to have his own new ideas on how the farm should run. Toughened by her experiences, it takes more than a little persuading to get her to Sandrine's yoga class at Orange Blossom House which is the central point for all three characters meeting. Patricia's plight caring for her ailing parents, unmarried and teaching but given up most of her dreams is next, followed by Dorothy; cafe-owner with her husband and has been trying for years to have a child but with no success. These descriptions don't do the depth of these three women justice - Green's ability to add so much detail to their lives, ideas, thoughts and fears feel so realistic and are issues that many readers could relate to. The real spark comes through when little by little the barriers begin to break down and conversations are had, where each of the trio start to open up to each other and from there solutions can be found to the problems they are facing. This idea of women leaning on each other and being able to bring down the facade of being so capable, strong and perpetually self-sacrificing, is brought to the fore with nuance and heart. A healthy dose of good humour and some laughs throughout add to the light and shade within the plot, making for a read which is just as comforting as a cup of tea on a breezy spring day.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In lockdown I find myself drifting towards the kind of reads that are thoughtful but end on a high note, with a view to capturing not only our sense of place in this beautiful country but also how we find homes in the connections built among the kindness of strangers we meet in life. Thursdays at Orange Blossom House is one example of this, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Sophie Green next!
About the author
Sophie Green is an author and publisher who lives in Sydney.
She has written several fiction and non-fiction books, some under other names.
In her spare time she writes about country music on her blog, Sunburnt Country
Music. She has been practising yoga since 1993 and teaching since 2002.
Sophie's debut novel, THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE FAIRVALE LADIES BOOK CLUB, a
Top Ten bestseller, was shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards for
General Fiction Book of the Year 2018, and longlisted for both the Matt Richell
Award for New Writer of the Year 2018 and the Indie Book Award for Debut
Fiction 2018. THE SHELLY BAY LADIES SWIMMING CIRCLE was also a Top Ten
bestseller.
The French bestseller La Daronne Now a major film starring Isabelle Huppert
Meet Patience Portefeux, fifty-three, an underpaid French-Arabic translator who specialises in police phone taps. Widowed after the sudden death of her husband, Patience is wedged between the costs of raising her daughters and the nursing home fees for her ageing mother. She’s laboured for twenty-five years to keep everyone’s heads above water.
Happening upon an especially revealing set of wiretaps ahead of all other authorities, Patience makes a life-altering decision that sees her intervening in – and infiltrating – the machinations of a massive drug deal. She thus embarks on an entirely new career path: Patience becomes ‘the Godmother’.
With a gallery of traffickers, dealers, police officers and politicians more real than life itself, and an unforgettable woman at its centre, Hannelore Cayre’s bestselling novel shines a torchlight on a European criminal underworld that has rarely been seen, casting a piercing and darkly humorous gaze on everyday survival in contemporary France.
Thank you to Black Inc Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
It's not too often that a crime novel like The Godmother comes along. Coming in at just shy of 200 pages, you may at first think that in such a short span it would be impossible to create a plausible and meaty plot-line with the right balance of action, mystery and character development that this genre demands. But therein lies Cayre's genius - the whip-smart narration from our protagonist Patience Portefeux and her scheming in playing both sides of the law provides just the right atmosphere for a piece of French noir that is entirely compelling.
Dark humour, as the blurb suggests, is rife here - alongside the corruption within the ranks of the justice system and shady line between who has the upper hand in world of organised crime. Patience, once a straight-laced court translator turned trafficker, provides a sardonic insight into her career and the many faces of the drug trade. The writing style and character development is where The Godmother shines - as while the content itself is serious, dealing with large-scale money laundering, the experiences of immigrants assimilating in Europe and all the while trying to find some moral ground, the narrative voice cuts through all of this with a sharply pragmatic tone.
...Frankly, you could devise a better system, couldn't you, in terms of incorruptibility. Well, I find it pretty disturbing, And I have been corrupted. At first I thought it was funny, then one day I wasn't laughing any more.
In one instance it's almost surreal to have a scene depicting an armed robbery with shocking results relayed with a sense of detached calm; the mania of the entire situation construed through a completely unemotional lens. It's this writing style that I'll remember most from The Godmother, and draws the readers focus towards the greater themes at play about how the main character justifies her actions - both within her own mind and in the dialogue she has with the reader themselves throughout.
FINAL THOUGHTS While there is no shortage of crime fiction to choose from, The Godmother comfortably holds its own. The most memorable books are often those with a distinct voice and a main character facing some sort of moral dilemma. This one executes both exceptionally well.
One? is the first book in a contemporary fiction trilogy, looking at finding 'the one' in the modern world and how relationship models are shifting in the most innovative period in living history.
The story starts in 2005, and spans ten years following the characters from the challenges of their twenties into their thirties.
It's London in the mid-noughties before Facebook, iPhones and ubiquitous wifi.
Zara has just moved to London for her first real job and struggles to find her feet in a big city with no instruction manual. Penelope works night and day in an investment bank with little or no time for love.
At twenty-eight she is positively ancient as far as her mother is concerned and the pressure is on for her to settle down as the big 3-0 is looming. Charlie spends night and day with his band who are constantly teetering on the verge of greatness. Richard has relocated to London from his castle in Scotland in search of the one, and Alyx is barely in one place long enough to hold down a relationship let alone think about the future.
One? follows the highs and lows of a group of twenty-somethings living in leafy SW4.
Jennifer L. Cahill has written a story which could resonate with any twenty-something as they navigate this important decade where we seem to be told that 'everything in life is supposed to come together'; from finding your feet in a full-time job to entering a serious relationship. Though at first glance 'One?' sounds like a romance novel, I was so glad to find that it was so much more. It's refreshing to find a contemporary read which is both fun and real enough to be able to see some of yourself in the characters - whether it is high-flying Penelope with more to her than meets the eye, or Zara who is facing the challenges of moving to a new city and making long-lasting friendships. Though set predominately in London, I was intrigued by the hint of some Australian influence later on in the book (though we'll see how that comes along in the next one!).
Jennifer has kindly stopped by on the blog to answer some of my questions about the book and her writing process...
One is set in the early 2000s, a time where Facebook messenger was non-existent and Tinder still years away. What made you decide to set the story at that time?
I wrote the story at that time, with a view to capturing the essence of the place and time, and the technological changes. Little did I know that our lives were about to be taken over by all of these apps etc. It would be challenging to write the same story now, based back then. Even re-reading it I was surprised at how life has changed so much in just over ten years. I guess I could sense the changes happening at the time, but obviously I had no idea how big they were going to be. Nobody could have predicted how huge Facebook, Twitter etc. were going to be, and of course how the iPhone has changed the way we connect. My day job is very technology/innovation/future focused, so I think that point of view or mindset permeates everything that I do. I also think there is tremendous value in looking back and tracking the journey from less technology, to a more technological existence. We are so busy dealing with constant change, that we don’t take the time to look at the broader themes/effects on relationships/careers/daily life. I’m particularly looking at how the role of women has shifted because technology is levelling the playing field and more women are working than ever before, and the impact that this is having on relationship models in the modern world.
It was great to see the characters in the book go into more than just their love lives, but also what life is like after university and navigating career changes, alongside moving out of home. What do you think some of the biggest questions young people are asking themselves in their early twenties?
I think that people in their twenties must be asking themselves questions around what their career might be. New careers and University courses keep popping up all over the place, so I think the choice is probably a bit ovrwhelming. I think that people in their early twenties now have only ever lived in a world of constant change, and I think that makes them well prepared for the road ahead. There is tremendous pressure on them to succeed, but there are also more opportunities and less limits than ever before. If you are good at what you do, you can really succeed particularly as a developer, or a YouTuber/Influencer. In the past nobody would have given you your own channel to potentially reach millions for free.
From a relationship point of view, I’m looking at how the relationship models are shifting and changing to fit into the modern world. So I’m wondering if this is something that twenty somethings are thinking about. I also think the constant ’selfie pressure’ is an absolute nightmare for people at that age. Navigating relationships is hard enough without the constant pressure to look amazing for selfies, and the fact that these can be posted online. I also think this kind of thing does put a lot of pressure on finding ’the one’, surely we don’t all have to look like super models 24/7 to find love do we? Dating apps can sometimes add a transactional flavour to dating. I’m hoping that people in their twenties are questioning this, rather than just accepting that this is the way it is, and that this is the way it will always be.
The environment and sustainability are front and centre at the moment, so I definitely think that this is something that people in their twenties now are justifiably concerned about, and questioning the impact the way we live is having on their future.
Without giving too much away, is there a favourite moment or quote from the book which you'd like to share?
This is my favourite quote that doesn’t give anything away. I think this little nugget distils the story into one sentence. ‘I always think, that if I’m going to meet him, I’m definitely going to meet him in London. It’s one of the most exciting cities in the world..’ ‘One?’ p.40. Here Penelope is musing about finding ’the one’.
As a debut novelist, what were some of the biggest challenges and exciting milestones when writing One?
One of the most exciting things about writing ‘One?' was the ‘aha moment’ when I realised that I’m a writer. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I have a career as a change specialist and I wish someone had told me sooner that I was a writer. We don’t have any writers in the family, if we had, they definitely would have spotted it sooner. It was the moment that I finally knew what I was supposed to be when I grew up. The minute I started writing life turned into an adventure, all of a sudden everything around me became potential inspiration, and that is a very exciting way to live.
The main challenges are finding the time to do it, you need to take a good chunk of time off work to get the book into production. That is something that writers need to budget for both in terms of time and money. Another challenge is managing your sensitivity, or ‘walking the sensitivity tightrope’ as I call it (see the video below), so that you don’t get blocked. On one hand you need to be sensitive to be a writer, it’s part of the job, but then you also need to have the courage to be able to deal with the media, critics, and you have to put yourself out there on Twitter, YouTube, live Radio etc.
I loved the vivid settings across London (and even Paris in some parts!) which captured the bustle of city living and all the chance meetings which come with it. Were any of the places the characters visited or experiences they had inspired by your own life?
As a contemporary fiction writer I try to capture the essence of a place and time in my books. London, and Clapham in particular, were definitely my main inspiration to write. I just thought that London, although a challenging city, is ultimately one of the most amazing cities in the world. I also couldn’t believe that when I arrived in Clapham I was surrounded by like-minded people, from all over the world, all in their first or second jobs, and pretty much everyone was in their twenties. It’s also particularly amazing in the summer with lots of festivals, open air cinemas and events on Clapham Common. There seems to be no need to leave Clapham at the weekends if you live there. I do feel that London is as much a character in the books as the actual characters. It’s a key catalyst for the changes that they go through, and it’s a key connector as the most amazing people are drawn to live and work in London. It was also important for me to include Paris and New York, as these places are so easily accessible from London. I have personal experience of all of the places that I write about. It’s usually the place, and actually the house that starts the book off, and the story takes off from there.
What's the best piece of advice you'd pass on to other twenty-somethings who, like the characters in One, are in that in-between phase of embracing the independence and opportunities which adulthood bring?
I have three main pieces of advice for people who are in that in-between phase:
I would tell them to have faith in their own abilities and to ‘run their own race’. We live in a world where people are constantly comparing themselves to each other, selfies, instagram, facebook etc. and these online versions are not always telling the whole story. You are better off owning and celebrating your uniqueness as you only have one life to live.
I also think that self awareness is really important. There are personality tests like Myers Briggs that can be very insightful, and can put you on the right career path. Some of the most interesting people don’t fit into a regular mould, and as the world is changing, new careers are popping up all over the place. They need to be open to these possibilities, and the concept that maybe their career hasn’t been invented yet.
I would also advise people at that age to see every relationship as a learning experience, rather than ask themselves ‘is this the one?’. In that in-between phase, it’s better to ask yourself ‘What is this person teaching me?' Or ‘What am I learning about myself?’. When ’the one’ comes along, they’ll know all about it, so I would advise them not to worry about it too much at that age.
Since One was released, could you give us a glimpse into any other writing projects you're currently working on?
Absolutely. ’Two?’is almost finished. Thankfully I wrote that at the time (mid to late 2000s) so I don’t have to travel back in time too much. That will be coming out in early 2020. I’m also working on ’Three’ simultaneously, but my priority is to get ’Two’ finished. I have another couple of projects going, but my main focus is completing the trilogy, as I don’t want people to have to wait too long to find out what happens.
About the author
I write contemporary fiction and try to capture the essence of a place and time in my books. Above all, my aim is to make you laugh, and hopefully learn a little, as you recognise yourself, your friends and your exes in my books. I love hearing from my readers, and you can contact me via my website, or @JLCAuthor on Twitter.
The year is 1546. Suleiman the Magnificent, the powerful and feared Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, issues an invitation to every king in Europe:
YOU ARE INVITED TO SEND YOUR FINEST PLAYER TO COMPETE IN A CHESS TOURNAMENT TO DETERMINE THE CHAMPION OF THE KNOWN WORLD.
The English delegation - led by esteemed scholar Roger Ascham - journeys to the glittering city of Constantinople. Accompanying Ascham is his pupil, Bess, who is about to bear witness to events she never thought possible.
For on the first night of the tournament, a powerful guest of the Sultan is murdered, and against the backdrop of the historic event, Ascham is tasked with finding the killer.
Barbaric deaths, unimaginable depravity and diplomatic treachery unfold before Bess's eyes, indelibly shaping her character and determining how she will perform her future role...as Queen Elizabeth I.
Like Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly is one of those prolific authors I've always thought to try, but didn't know where to start! After The Tournament came recommended, and seeing it was historical fiction, there was no question that I had to give it a chance. This thrilling tale hones in on the life of a teenage Elizabeth I, where she is exposed to political intrigue and a series of ghastly murders during the chess tournament in 1546 set at the heart of the Ottoman Empire.
The object of chess is to checkmate the king. But curiously, while the king is the crux of the game, he is the most impotent piece on the board. Even pawns can become queens and every other piece can move more than one square. And so the king in chess is like a king in life: his continued reign depends upon keeping his castles intact and his subjects onside. He is hostage to his people's continued happiness.
It's no wonder that Reilly has become known as one of the greats when it comes to writing solid action, and here he's balanced it with a well-researched foundation to make the plot realistic. Of course, there is always some creative license involved, but it was useful to read in the interview at the end of the book with the author what inspired him to tell this story. From the explanations of the architecture and opulence of the palace, to how the games of chess play out in the grand setting of Hagia Sophia, Reilly's ability to create a sense of place makes its mark here. While the writing style is often pragmatic, in a story like this there's no time for the flowery prose I've come to appreciate in other historical fiction from Kate Forsyth for example. That being said, for a book like this, which doesn't shy away from graphically exploring the sexual politics at play in the Sultan's inner circle, or the gruesome murders of both Cardinals and nobles, there is never a dull moment.
I had often wondered what had caused this profound change in my friend and now I knew. Sometimes we must go away to discover things about ourselves. Sometimes we go away with the wrong people. Sometimes we go away with the right teachers.
Behind the drama in Constantinople is a novel exploring the coming of age of a future queen. The extracts of the rules of chess and the different roles of the pieces were a wise move to include between the chapters. Serving more as a mere reference point for those not familiar with the game, they offered a clever parallel to the politics of power in real life at the time. The bond between the chivalrous Robert Ascham and Elizabeth brought some warmth to the novel where a murderer on the loose and corrupt practices were rife. Seeing how she brought her own sense of curiosity, bravery and loyalty to her mentor and friend Elsie showcased Reilly's ability to balance both plot progression and character development to make the best of both.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This year has so far been one for stepping outside my usual reading habits, and I'm glad I've continued that and picked up The Tournament. Though I didn't have any preconceptions of Matthew Reilly's writing, it's easy to see why he's reached such acclaim. If any of you have any recommendations on where to go next with his books from here, let me know!
