Welcome to ABC Arts' monthly book column. Each month, we present a shortlist of new releases read and recommended by The Bookshelf's Kate Evans and The Book Show's Claire Nichols and Sarah L'Estrange — alongside recommendations from freelance writer and critic Declan Fry.
All four read voraciously and widely, and the only guidelines we give them are: make it a new release; make it something you think is great.
The resulting list features a witty social critique that unfolds over one hot Sydney summer (and is drawing comparisons to Sally Rooney); a lyrical tale of a teenage boy's coming-of-age in 1940s Tasmania from one of Australia's most exciting authors; a taut mystery about a missing child in 19th century South Australia, that lays bare our national mythologies and complex histories; a "ravishingly good" surrealist novel by one of Romania's leading writers; and a timely collection of queer reflections on horror films.
