The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
When they were small, Rafe and Jeremy vanished on a school trip to the West Virginia wilderness, only to reappear six months later with no memory of their experiences. Now, as adults, Rafe is a reclusive artist struggling with trauma of his lost time, while Jeremy is a missing persons investigator. When another young person vanishes in the same woods, Jeremy is drawn back to the seen of the mystery. Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lost Story deftly mixes fantasy, adventure and coming-of-age.
Bear by Julia Phillips
Sam and Elena live on a remote and secluded island off the Washington coast. Working long hours to make ends meet, the sisters are struggling to survive and to find their places in the world. When a mysterious visitor appears on the island and disrupts their lives, the sisters bonds are tested. Exploring themes of family, love and rivalry, Bear is a novel that will sit with you for a long time.
Heartsease by Kate Kruimink
In the wake of their parents deaths, sisters Lot and Nelly, once so close, now far apart, meet at a silent retreat in the Tasmanian countryside. A darkly comic exploration of grief and family, love and ghosts, both poignant and thought-provoking.
Liars by Sarah Manguso
When aspiring writer Jane marries filmmaker John, she believes they both have the same goals and aims in life. But when motherhood and marriage, and John's career ambitions begin to overwhelm and subsume her, reality sets in. And when her career starts to ascend, their marriage falters. Liars is a story of art, destruction and marriage in the age of the trad wife. Manguso has been compared to luminaries Elena Ferrante and Jenny Offill, and her writings never fail to beguile.
Bright Objects by Ruby Todd
Sylvia is a young widow still coming to terms with her husband's unresolved death in a hit-and-run. To add to her grief, a rare comet is sighted in the sky. Compelled by these events Sylvia is drawn into the orbit of local mystic Joseph Evans who reads things into the comet's arrival that others don't and as the comet nears, Sylvia falls deeper into her quest to solve her husband's death. A compelling blend of science, mystery and a little romance.
All Fours by Miranda July
A quirky and thought-provoking exploration of identity, desire, and the pursuit of freedom, All Fours follows the story of a semi-famous artist who impulsively leaves her husband and child to embark on a cross-country road trip. Exploring themes of freedom and constraint, identity, desire and sexuality, Miranda July's second novel has a unique and thought provoking voice.
My Friends by Hisham Matar
A poignant exploration of friendship, exile, and the unique complexities of living under a repressive regime. Set against the backdrop of 1980s Libya under Gaddafi, the novel follows the lives of Khaled and Mustafa, two university students whose lives are dramatically altered by a chance encounter with a short story.
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
When Doll's brother Cillian loses a large drug shipment, two local thugs take Doll hostage. They stash him at the home of Dev, who is grieving his mother, and suffering anxiety attacks as he struggles to find a place for himself in the world. Meanwhile Nicky, Doll's somewhat reluctant girlfriend and his mournful mother Sheila hatch a plan to get Doll back. Taking place over the course of a weekend, Wild Houses is a depressing read of drugs, violence and poverty in rural Ireland.
