The World Beneath Her Feet

In The World Beneath Her Feet by Holly Ringland, a richly layered contemporary Australian novel, Maggie Byrd is content in London—working among fossils and gemstones at the Natural History Museum—until a surprise inheritance pulls at the life she’s carefully built.

When Maggie learns she now owns her uncle’s rewilded property in a lush southeast Queensland valley, old choices start to surface. The land borders a town known for opalised fossil finds, sits near a volcanic lake steeped in local rumour, and shelters a tea-tree swamp with deep cultural meaning. It’s also under pressure from developers, and Maggie can’t avoid the story she tried to leave behind: a 1990s adolescence shaped by friendship, first love, loyalty, and a betrayal she’s never forgiven herself for.

Perfect for readers who love literary fiction, coming-of-age stories, Australian landscapes, and novels about family, memory and belonging.

Step into this vivid world and see what Maggie is finally brave enough to face.