FICTION

Ants live in communities, where everyone helps out. Everyone has a task for the community . . . Everyone is needed. No one has to know everything. One morning, Emelie can't get out of bed. Her therapist calls it burnout. Her neighbour calls it the tiny work death. She needs to get away from the brightness of the city lights, the noise of the people, the constant demands, so she goes to the woods, pitches her tent overlooking the lake, breathes. And that's where she sees them, the Colony- A man with a sad face.A tall, strong, older woman.A woman in her forties, squatting to examine an ant hill.Another woman in her forties, short, long hair, ample bosom, good posture - the leader?An extremely beautiful man.A slightly younger man, in a Helly Hansen jacket and trucker hat.And a teenage boy, standing a little way from the group. Who are they? What do they mean to each other? And why do they behave in such strange ways- thanking the fish they eat, sleeping under a tree, singing off key, dancing without music, never letting the boy fully in? As Emelie becomes more and more drawn to the Colony, she begins to re-evaluate her own lifestyle. Wouldn't it be nice to live as these seven do? Apart from society and its expectations. But groups always have their dynamics and roles. Which are you? And what if you want to change?  'Swedish writer Norlin's remarkable debut revolves around a commune in the Swedish countryside ... Norlin's character work is superior, bringing each Colony member to vivid life and examining in nuanced detail how they interact. It's an impressive tale of a found family.'-Publishers Weekly 'In this elegant, darkly funny, and deeply touching story about group dynamics and our need for belonging, the author once again shows she's a receptive and warm depicter of human life. This is a novel to take to your heart and warm yourself upon.'-Svenska Dagbladet 'Mesmerising, lush, and unsettling ... Colony is extraordinary.'-Diane Cook, author of The New Wilderness

‘In The Theory of Everything, Kassab realises the potential and fulfils the promise of her earlier work. This is a writer at her intellectual and poetic peak. Innovative, ambitious, unapologetically intellectual, fearlessly honest, deeply emotional. Read this book – you will be changed.’ – Shankari Chandran, Miles Franklin–award winning author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Good News: The worst has already happened. Bad News: Even worse is on the way.<p> This is a fictional theory, a rant, a manifesto, an engagement or disengagement with the times, a record; it is bearing witness, a dramatisation of actual events, a horror-scape, either a monologue or dialogue, a testament, travel guide, handbook, textbook, potential encyclopaedia; it is five mini-novels or else five post-novels, an epic, a drop in the ocean, an homage, a reference, one long secret handshake, an agreement, a wink; it is an explosion of form, tangential, discursive, a firming of the foundations, a lament, an absurdist comedy with realism that is as realistic as it gets; it is a spectrum, shades of black from the dark to the next shade up from white, a proliferation, a step back, a righting, a note to oneself, a line in the sand or a gust in the form of a structure-shaking gale; it is a dance (a two-footed, single-person linedance), an experiment, pure science, flicking the finger; it is, of course, backing away, crossing the street and avoiding eye contact; it is fantasy, humour, a romance without any leads, a defiance, a subdued rebellion, an anti-philosophical philosophy; it is pacifism that instigates a fight, a denouncement in the form of a laugh, an exploration, an adventure, a time lapse, a panorama, a conclusion; you may just have to read the theory because these are just alluding-to-the-theory words. PRAISE FOR THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING Â ‘a wheeling, unpinnable squall of a book.’ – The Guardian Â ‘Kassab’s book poses questions about the novel form and answers them in ways that are continuously surprising and probing. It is both personal and expansive; introspective and ambitious.’ – Kylie Mirmohamadi, author Diving, Falling PRAISE FOR POLITICA</p><p> ‘Like an impressionist painter, Kassab uses words like brushstrokes to build a vivid picture of intertwined lives set against the continuing drumbeat of war. The narrative moves between past, present and future and uses time as an effective device to illustrate how the effects of war linger long after its cessation.’ – Books + Publishing</p><p> ‘an evocative literary tale’ – The Australian Women's Weekly</p><p> ‘In a 2022 interview, Kassab said a responsibility of the novelist is to “write with an eye towards humanity”. And she never falters in this, with Politica always drawing us back to war’s immeasurable personal cost.’ – The Guardian</p><p>PRAISE FOR THE LOVERS</p><p> ‘Sometimes, Kassab shows us, love can be another word for cruelty. Sometimes the stories we hide behind reveal our deepest truths.’ – Sydney Morning Herald Â ‘Beautifully told in Yumna Kassab's poetic prose, The Lovers is both the story of the tumultuous relationship between Amir and Jamila and an exploration of class, culture and the complex nature of love.’ – Sunday Life Â   </p>

Sosuke Natsukawa is a Japanese physician and novelist, born in Osaka Prefecture in 1978. He graduated from the Shinshu University Medical School and practices medicine at a hospital in the largely rural prefecture of Nagano. His multivolume debut novel, Kamisama no Karute, published in 2009, won several prizes and sold over three million copies in Japan. The Cat Who Saved Books is set to be translated into over twenty languages around the world.

Prize-winning and highly commended stories from the 2024 Hope Prize, with judges including Dame Quentin Bryce, Dr Tony Birch and Julia Gillard. ‘Tomorrow There Will Be Sun is more than just a book, it is hope in your hands.’ Julia Gillard The Hope Prize is one of the world’s leading short story competitions, and this collection of winning and shortlisted stories will delight, move and inspire you. From two lovers in Nigeria navigating uncertain futures; a homeless man in Melbourne holding fast to his dignity against the backdrop of an indifferent city; a former prisoner stepping back into the world; and a mother in Ireland who is unknowingly whisper-close to her long-lost son, these stories grapple with issues that define our time – mental health, poverty, war – in a way that feels both intimate and urgent. In Tomorrow There Will Be Sun some of the world’s most promising literary voices remind us that no matter the challenges we face, through the strength of the human spirit and the power of connection, we can move through darkness and into the light. In a tapestry of unique perspectives, this engrossing and entertaining collection is a balm for the soul. Hope isn't passive. It’s something we create, together. And in these pages, you’ll find hope well and truly alive, waiting for you to carry it forward. All royalties from the anthology support Beyond Blue, Australia's leading mental health charity.

A story of love, friendship and memory.

Klara and the Sun is the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2017.

Stylish and open-hearted, this is a very different kind of love story, elevated and energised by being set in the world of creativity and video gaming THE BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'I loved this book' Jojo MoyesThis is the story of Sam and Sadie. It's not a romance, but it is about love.When Sam catches sight of Sadie at a crowded train station one winter morning he is catapulted back to the brief time they spent playing together as children. Their unique spark is instantly reignited.What comes next is a story of friendship and rivalry, fame and creativity, betrayal and tragedy, perfect worlds and imperfect ones. And, ultimately, our need to connect- to be loved and to love.'Love, friendship and betrayal...gorgeous' Sunday Telegraph'One of the best books I've ever read' John Green'I loved it' Celeste Ng'This blew me away' Pandora Sykes

Two brothers venture across 1950s America in the absorbing New York Times bestselling novel by the author of A Gentleman in MoscowTHE INSTANT NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFROM THE AUTHOR OF RULES OF CIVILITY AND A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW'Deserves a place alongside Kerouac, Steinbeck and Wolfe as the very best of the genre' OBSERVER'An absolute beauty of a book. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it again' TANA FRENCH'Welcome to the enormous pleasure that is The Lincoln Highway . . . in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast' ANN PATCHETTIn June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett returns home to his younger brother Billy after serving fifteen months in a juvenile facility for involuntary manslaughter. They are getting ready to leave their old life behind and head out to sunny California.But they're not alone. Two runaways from the youth work farm, Duchess and Wolly, have followed Emmett all the way to Nebraska with a plan of their own, one that will take the four of them on an unexpected and fateful journey in the opposite direction - to New York City.'Already feels like an American coming of age classic' RED'The best novel I've read in years' CHRIS CLEAVE'Wise and wildly entertaining . . . permeated with light, wit, youth' THE NEW YORK TIMES