Annie Condon
Annie Condon is from Readings Hawthorn
Review — 1 Sep 2023
Something Bad is Going to Happen by Jessie Stephens
A writing teacher once told me that it’s difficult to write about characters experiencing depression, without depressing the reader. However, this is not the case in Jessie Stephens’ novel, Something…
Review — 31 Jul 2023
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Pet, by New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey, is my favourite book of 2023 so far. Set in a Catholic primary school in the mid 1980s, it’s narrated by Justine…
Review — 30 May 2023
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
It’s difficult to review a comedic novel that deals with trauma. So, among all the content warnings regarding reading Big Swiss, it’s best to let the characters speak for…
Review — 20 Apr 2023
After the Rain by Aisling Smith
After the Rain is Aisling Smith’s debut novel, and it amply demonstrates her ability to write well and create complex and likeable characters. Most of the book is from the…
Review — 27 Mar 2023
Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny
Katherine Heiny’s first story collection, Single, Carefree, Mellow was published in 2015, and praised in the New York Times and by Lena Dunham of Girls fame. Since then, she has…
Review — 3 Mar 2023
Resistance by Jacinta Halloran
Jacinta Halloran’s fourth novel has been much anticipated, as her previous titles have won awards, and been lauded by authors such as Helen Garner and Fiona Wright. The title, Resistance…
Review — 30 Jan 2023
Crows Nest by Nikki Mottram
Nikki Mottram has used her professional social-work experience to create a likable but troubled character, Dana Gibson. Dana has accepted a short-term contract as a child protection worker in Queensland…
Review — 30 Jan 2023
Higher Education by Kira McPherson
In Higher Education, debut author Kira McPherson introduces Sam, a young woman progressing hesitantly through five years of her law degree.
In an early vignette from primary school, Sam’s…
Review — 2 Nov 2022
Euphoria by Elin Cullhed
Struggling with the demands of young children and a writing career, Swedish author Elin Cullhed became obsessed by the life of poet and author Sylvia Plath. Plath famously tried to…
Review — 26 Nov 2013
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
First published in 1964, Harriet the Spy is the story of eleven year old Harriet M. Welsch, who wants to be a spy and a writer. Harriet lives in Manhattan…
