FICTION

The beautiful novel of female friendship and family secrets on a small Korean island, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends that come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility but also danger. Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook’s differences are impossible to ignore. The Island of Sea Women is an epic set over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, through the era of cell phones and wetsuits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, and she will forever be marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that after surviving hundreds of dives and developing the closest of bonds, forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women’s friendships and the larger forces that shape them—The Island of Sea Women introduces readers to the fierce and unforgettable female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives. ‘For centuries, women on Korea’s Jeju island have been free-diving into the sea, a practice explored through this fictionalized story of two friends who struggle to stay close amid war, family rivalries, and a shifting cultural landscape. It’s riveting, historical, and heartbreaking all at once’ Marie Claire ‘Lisa See excels at mining the intersection of family, friendship and history... This novel spans wars and generations, but at its heart is a beautifully rendered story of two women whose individual choices become inextricably tangled’ Jodi Picoult, author of A Spark of Light ‘I was spellbound the moment I entered the vivid and little-known world of the diving women of Jeju… No one writes about female friendship… with more insight and depth than Lisa See’ Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees

An epic, kaleidoscopic story of four women connected across time and place by an invisible thread and their determination to shape their own stories, from the acclaimed author of The Mother Fault.Shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2024 Longlisted for the Stella Prize and Indie Book Awards 2024Sydney Morning Herald Best Reads of the Year for 2023 One of the lucky few with a job during the Depression, Peggy’s just starting out in life. She’s a bagging girl at the Angliss meatworks in Footscray, a place buzzing with life as well as death, where the gun slaughterman Jack has caught her eye – and she his. How is her life connected to Hilda’s, almost a hundred years later, locked inside during a plague, or La’s, further on again, a singer working shifts in a warehouse as her eggs are frozen and her voice is used by AI bots? Let alone Maz, far removed in time, diving for remnants of a past that must be destroyed? Is it by the river that runs through their stories, eternal yet constantly changing – or by the mysterious Hummingbird Project, and the great question of whether the march of progress can ever be reversed? Propulsive, tender and engrossing, this genre-bending novel is a feast for the heart as well as the mind and senses. For fans of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, Michelle de Kretser’s The Life to Come and Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House, it confirms Mildenhall as one of the most ambitious and dynamic writers in the country. 'Kate Mildenhall is such an exciting writer to read … This generous, playful novel speaks to themes of climate change, survival and holding space for each other, as well as the enduring power of female friendship.' The Guardian ‘Spellbinding, genre-defying, and powerful in its vision of the future … The Hummingbird Effect is a devastating novel that exposes the ways the future is seeded in the past.’ Australian Book Review

What could be worse than your child disappearing? An emotional, whip-smart and brilliantly clever thriller about a child's disappearance, and the disintegration of a family in the aftermath.

Envy and desire infiltrate the lives of twin sisters in this dark, Gothic suspense set in England and New York City, perfect for fans of Laura Joh Rowland and Hester Fox.Envy and desire infiltrate the lives of twin sisters in this dark, Gothic suspense set in England and New York City, perfect for fans of Laura Joh Rowland and Hester Fox.A mirror will never show you the truth.England, 1904. Mirror twins Adelaide and Victoria have spent their lives in orbit of each other- doomed to be in the other's shadow, their lives are intertwined and inextricable as each other's identical inverse. Adelaide is dutiful and reserved, happy to remain in her childhood home, Harewood Hall, forever. Victoria wishes for a thrilling life, exploring the world and finding a great romance-but the twins cannot live apart. Visiting Lord Stanley bewitches Victoria with his talk of a life of luxury in New York, but it is obedient Adelaide whom he marries against her will and to Victoria's fury. Together, they all move to New York and begin a new life. Adelaide finds herself trapped in a gilded cage on Fifth Avenue with no one but her angry and tempestuous twin for company. Amid the glamor of the upper class, Adelaide is captivated by the independent and educated women of the elite social circle Mrs. Astor's 400. As Adelaide's star rises, tensions begin to surface between the sisters, and as Adelaide grows apart from her twin for the very first time, Victoria descends into a rage-fueled darkness that threatens everything and anyone standing in her way. Darker and darker with every turn of the page, this Gothic suspense will enrapture readers of Daphne du Maurier and Laura Purcell.

A collection of delightful short stories from one of Ireland's greatest ever writers, Brian Friel 'A fake! A quack! A charlatan! Get a grip on yourself, woman! We'll say another rosary and then I'll leave you home.'Stories of Ireland is a brilliant, colourful compendium of mid-century Irish experience from one of Ireland's greatest ever writers, Brian Friel. Demonstrating all of Friel's peerless instinct for voice, scene, and the uncanny mystery found in the everyday, these tales tell of beauty, struggle and discovery- from the drowning of a man in the bog-black waters of Lough Keeragh, to the camaraderie of teenage potato gathers in County Tyrone, and from the careful work of the German War Graves Commission in Glenn na fuiseog, to trawlermen's talk of sunken gold off the coast of Donegal.Selected by Friel himself, and introduced by acclaimed author Louise Kennedy, this delightful, heartful collection truly offers some of the best stories ever written.

An ultimatum- her or me. A gunshot. A betrayal. From the author of The Flames, a passionate story set in Paris and the French Riviera, about three women whose lives are set on a collision course when they meet the enigmatic artist Henri Matisse.On France's golden Riviera, the wife of an artist gives him an ultimatum- her or me. The dazzling new novel from Sophie Haydock, author of The Flames 'Deliciously immersive . . . Think of Haydock as the art world's answer to Philippa Gregory . . . I took Madame Matisse on a wet, grey holiday and it swept me into a world of startling, splashy colour' The Spectator' A sizzling story of the art world, where sidelined women take centre stage. It's an immersive tale of muses, betrayal, sex and bad behaviour' Daily MailThis is the story of three women - one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores.Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both. Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband's art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment.Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France's golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite. Eventually she finds employment with the Matisse family. From this point on, their lives are set on a collision course....Marguerite is Matisse's eldest daughter. When the life of her family implodes, she must find her own way to make her mark and to navigate divided loyalties.Based on a true story, Madame Matisse is a stunning novel about drama and betrayal; emotion and sex; glamour and tragedy, all set in the hotbed of the 1930s art movement in France. In art, as in life, this a time when the rules were made to be broken...

Those Girls How far would you go to protect the ones you love? Life has never been easy for the three Campbell sisters. Jess, Courtney, and Dani live on a remote ranch where they work hard and try to stay out of the way of their father's temper. One night, a fight gets out of hand and the sisters are forced to go on the run, only to get caught in an even worse nightmare when their truck breaks down in a small town. As events spiral out of control they find themselves in a horrifying situation and are left with no choice but to change their names and create new lives. Eighteen years later, they are still trying to forget what happened to them. But when one of the sisters goes missing, followed closely by her niece, they are pulled back into the past. And this time there's nowhere left to run...

A Kingdom Of Stars And Shadows  From USA Today bestselling author Holly Renee comes the indie sensation- a beautifully dark and spicy fantasy romance about the twisting threads of fate vs. duty and the all-consuming power of desire. Betray a kingdom or betray my heart. My union to the crowned prince will determine the fate of the kingdom, but it isn't my betrothed who haunts my dreams- it's the half-fae bastard who stands at his side. He is darkness and sin, and when he whispers wickedness in my ear, I crave a man I can't have. Every thought I have is treasonous. The way my hands ache to touch him deceitful. Even my dreams make me a traitor to the kingdom I am sworn to protect. But when our kingdom is attacked, I am forced to make a choice...and face a bitter truth. For our lies and deception are entangled in the shadows and stars, and as they unravel, so shall my fate.

Second Chance Family A moving and heart-warming new rural romance from internationally acclaimed author Barbara Hannay that proves it's never too late to start over. Callie Madden, a grieving widow and single mother of three, is stunned to learn she's inherited one half of Hawkridge, a beautiful acreage in the Misty Mountains of Far North Queensland. A potential family scandal surrounds the reasons for this bequest and there are additional complications. Callie is to share the inheritance with Ben Galbraith, a Scotsman, who'd helped Hawkridge's owner in his final years. Also, the property can't be sold for twelve months. Callie's life is in Townsville with her teenage twin daughters and six year old son. Ben plans to return to Scotland. How can they negotiate an entire year of caring for Hawkridge? And as they try to work together, is there more at stake than the property's future? Set on the picturesque hinterland of Australia's tropical far north, this is a deeply moving and uplifting story about making the most of the unexpected opportunities life throws your way. Ideal for fans of Tricia Stringer and Fiona Lowe.

A Thousand Blues From a massive rising star in the world of Korean female sci-fi comes the gripping, heartrending tale of how two sisters train a worn-out racehorse to run the slowest race of its life - for fans of KLARA AND THE SUN and CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN THE #1 KOREAN INSTANT BESTSELLER AND PRIZEWINNER Discover the original and uplifting sensation for fans of CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and KLARA AND THE SUN 'A stunning story of love, care and sacrifice' - Bora Chung, author of Cursed Bunny  'Feels like a feather softly descending and tickling my heart' - Reader review ***** 'A breath of fresh air' - Reader review ***** 'Full of human warmth' - ***** From its perch on top of a pile of junk inside a shed, Coli, a robot with powerful observational qualities, waits patiently for someone to find it. Coli is special among AI robots. This is because Coli has the capacity for emotion. Today, Coli is feeling particularly in awe - of the sky in all its wondrous shades of blue. Luckily for Coli, a young girl is about to pass by. She is obsessed with robots. Together, they will save a life. But first, they must make friends, put themselves at risk, and pull off the mother of all deceptions. 'Engaging, touching, subtly disturbing' - K-Lit Review 'A stunningly crafted novel, evoking a myriad emotions' - Kim Bo-young 'A dazzling, warm novel that shows us how to move forward as a society without leaving anyone or anything behind' - Choi Jin-young, author of To the Warm Horizon

Whisky Valley From the intriguing Echo Lake, Rose McHugh, curious historian-turned-detective, returns to solve her next compelling mystery in the moody Southern Highlands.

New Skin A powerful debut about first love and second chances from a stunning new voice in Australian fiction

Les Normaux: The Webtoon Fantasy Romance Phenomenon "One of my favourite webcomics of all time" - Alice Oseman Boy moves to new city. Boy meets vampire. They kiss, then become friends. But both would like something more.. A global Webtoon phenomenon and LGBTQ+ graphic novel about friendship, love and magic.  "Monster is just another word for someone different" Sebastien recently moved to supernatural Paris hoping to get away from his troubles at home and live a peaceful life learning magic. But what are you going to do when the really hot vampire you made out with last night (Elia) to forget your troubles turns out to be your new neighbour?  But both boys have insecurities holding them back - with a little help from friends, can they find the courage to give romance a go? Join Elia, Sebastien and their assorted crew of wonderful friends, as they navigate the ins and outs of dating in a modern and paranormal love story.

The FrenchmanThe bestselling debut thriller based on the real-life experiences of a former French intelligence operative.