Text Publishing, 2026. ISBN: 9781923058798. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
Allanah Hunt’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching story of young love and unplanned pregnancy. Each of her two young protagonists are struggling with family pressures: for Talia it is caring for a mother who has lost grip on normalcy, and deflecting an overly critical estranged father; while for Johnny it is the challenge of living up to the expectations of parents who have worked hard so that he can have the future they missed out on. Talia and Johnny are both lonely, needily seeking out comfort in each other. Talia has built a hard shell around herself, her sarcastic repartee hiding her true feelings, whilst Johnny is at a loss to know what he really wants from life. The two find solace in each other.
Talia, from a white family, only gradually begins to become aware of the daily abuses that Johnny, a Barkindji boy, constantly faces, the subtle undercurrents of racism that can occur in everyday conversation. She is unaware of the connotations underlying her father’s questions to Johnny: ‘Oh, you study?’, ‘So, who pays for your education?’, ‘Oh, your parents work?’ This is the kind of racism that isn’t immediately apparent, the stereotypes that Barkindji woman Allanah Hunt seeks to raise awareness about in her work as a cultural sensitivity reader. Her role is to eliminate further perpetuation of harmful misrepresentations in texts that have negatively impacted Indigenous peoples for far too long. Her novel highlights both the obvious situations of blatant racism and bullying, as well as the harmful attitudes that go unremarked.
Issues of mental health are another strong theme, from the delusional escapism of Talia’s mother, to the simple kind heartedness of the intellectually disabled adult-child Vinnie, to the co-dependent neediness of Talia’s relationship with Johnny. Talia and Johnny each have to find their individual inner strength, before they can assume the responsibilities of parenthood.
So whilst Forever and ever may appear at first glance to be another lighthearted teen romance, this is a novel which explores serious issues in a thoughtful way, and raises questions which should provoke reader reflection and intelligent discussion. Teaching notes are available on the publisher's website.
Sight Unseen, is not the novelization of the Canadian television series but a completely unrelated magical “romantasy” novel of nearly 400 beguiling pages of prose, written by the viral sensation Alexis Marie from Georgia, USA.
Hiram Ellis has returned to his small town home where his privileged parents still reside. He has Antaris in tow - his ‘found’ and mute 6yr old son. We learn from Inspector Gabriel that Antaris’ mother had lured her killer away from her house to protect her son, thus his trauma when she never returned. But there have been more kilings.
In this ‘slow burn’ single dad romance is an old combatant, Veda Thorne. Hiram seeks her out to tutor his son. She’s a mage and gardener of souls, who connects with Antaris as if they were already acquainted. Veda is herself dealing with her own fatal curse - the Sanguis Curse, causing fatigue and bruising and a cyst that will prove as fatal to her cursor as herself. She’s thrown all her magical botanticals at it and accepted her fate.
Can combatants become lovers by joining forces as the victims of a predatory serial killer begin to mount up? The twists and turns of their searching fill these pages as do the source of the enchanted spider lilies that outpace their next moves. Could the answers be right under their noses? United in their shared pain, Antaris' affinity with Veda, herbalist and earth mother figure, and his salve. Are Hiram and Veda fated to be together and can they protect Antaris and his extraordinary gifts?
The work of a transportive high fantasy craftsperson - the fusion of mystery, magic and romance is so gripping it suspends the reader’s disbelief.
Themes Romance, Fantasy, Magical, Single parent family.
Life and breath stories are a collection of short stories by renowned and acclaimed Australian author Ursula Dubosarsky. Dubosarsky needs little introduction to teachers and librarians. She was the Australian Children's Laureate from 2020-2021. She has won nine state literary awards and the Children's Book Council Book of the Year (The return of the book spy) as well as being short and long-listed multiple times. Internationally she has been nominated for both the Hans Christian Anderson and the Asrid Lindgren awards. Children know Dubosarsky's writing well through picture books such as The terrible plop and many other titles. Teachers could use The word spy as part of their personal reference libraries. Dubosarsky loves words and she loves language. It is somehow clear as soon as you read any of her work that you are in the hands of an accomplished writer.
Some short stories in the Life and breath stories collection have been chosen from published work in magazines, papers and anthologies. Many of these stories have been published in The School Magazine published by the NSW Dept of Education (Australia's longest running literary magazine for children-1916-2026!) What a pity it is when schools feel that they can't afford the subscription!
The selection is divided into two parts: Old Bones and Young Blood, with the first story 'The little green leaf' being an outlier. At the conclusion Dubosarsky includes some notes on each story: the characters, the plot, the reason for writing the story and the themes. Many of the stories are based on her own life and probably this is what gives them such clear-eyed poignancy and authenticity.
Dubosarsky writes about Sydney gardens, brothers playing with tin soldiers during the war, looking out at the world through the leaves of a lemon tree, neighbourhood children, the old horse in the paddock near the school, being left at an Uncle's house when her mother was having a new baby, being bundled up and taken there by her dad, clear memories of a stuffed bird in a glass jar, of going home with a boy from her class who was a bit of an outsider and finding out how he lived-at the end of the line, the strange story of Percival, whose mother wouldn't let him go out into the world and so much more... The descriptive power and the perspective of the various narrators are crystal clear so that one is seeing it and feeling it all for oneself too.
Short stories must encapsulate much in a bite sized piece of text. They must be succinct and powerful. Often they end with a jolt. Life and breath stories fits the bill. These stories are perfect to pick up and read in one sitting. The impact leaves something to mull over. For teachers, Life and breath stories are ideal to pick up and read before break times or when a break is needed. For a short while, another intense world is visited.
Themes Life, Death, Decisions, Self.
Wendy Jeffrey
The wicked lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni
Electric Monkey, 2025. ISBN: 9780008684174. (Age:14+) Recommended.
Set in Llanadwen, a village in Anglesey Wales (Cymru) in the year of 1842 CE, The wicked lies of Habren Faire, takes the reader to a Welsh world; a world caught between the real life world of a Welsh mining village and a forest containing the world of the tylwyth teg (the fair family). Deeply imaginative and immersed in the world of the faerie folk, anyone who has ever been told to never mess with the fairies at the bottom of the garden as well as anyone who hasn't, will know to tread very carefully after reading this book.
Told in the first person voice of Sabrina Parry (Habren), The wicked lies of Habren Faire is a romantasy about a girl who must strike a bargain with a fae prince. We all know it is not a good idea to bargain with the faerie folk! They are dangerous, complex and otherworldly. Depicting the world of nineteenth century Wales, the age when the Welsh were impoverished and endentured to the English who owned everything including the coalmines in which the Welsh toiled in dangerous conditions, the book reflects a time when Welsh language was banned in schools and the people were weighed down with tax, tolls and famine.
The wicked lies of Habren Faire opens with our heroine Sabrina (Habren), watching her father on trial for a litany of crimes including inciting civil unrest and arson (the burning of the Llanadwen Tollhouse) and being sentenced to transportation to Australia. Habren's father tells her that she is the trunk of the family tree with him being the roots, Gran the branches and Ceridwen (her beautiful but frail sister) the leaves. When the roots are torn away, it is up to Habren to look after the family. All a girl could do in those days was to marry as well as she could or work for the English as a servant in one of their great houses. In the evening after the trial, Habren tells Ceridwen an old Welsh story about royalty, beautiful princesses, duty and marriage. She tells Ceredwin that she may have to marry to save the family as she sees no chance of herself winning any suitors living, as she does, in the shadow of her beautiful sister. "I know how it is to be overlooked. Don't take it to heart," says her Gran. She too had had a sister who outshone her and disappeared. On that very evening Ceridwen disappears from the house...a second disappearance of a woman from the family - a generation apart.
Close to the family house is a forest where no one goes because no one comes back alive. Habren follows her sister into the forest and into the world of the tylwyth teg. Habren's greatest talent is her ability to lie and these lies will take her far. She is a very engaging heroine whose character, with its strengths and flaws, changes, grows and resolves.The reader cannot help but be on her side, heart in the mouth, as she faces horrors and dangers and somehow lies, fabricates and smart mouths her way out of trouble. Intent on the rescue of her sister, she encounters the possibility of her own attractiveness and of love. She learns to use her power to great advantage. Sometimes her choices are heartbreaking but she learns to control her world.
Cardiff based author, Anna Fiteni's language useage is rich, creating a world of emotional depth and vivid, engaging imagery. Open any page and be delighted by the colour, depth and Welsh cultural context where every chapter heading is both Welsh and English and smatterings of Welsh appear throughout the text. This adds to the otherworldliness as the book occupies the Welsh and faerie worlds. Where will Habren finish up? Will she have the power to choose?
For lovers of coming-of-age romantasies, The wicked lies of Habren Faire is a book that immerses the reader in adventure, danger, romance, betrayals and in addition - a world that is part folkloric Welsh and part historical nineteenth century Wales. The coal mining families' lives and real historical disasters are captured and woven into the storyline so that the reader has a sense of blurry lines between historical Welsh collier village life and the faerie world.
What a clever book The wicked lies of Habren Faire is! It is an atmospheric convergence of the mortal and immortal world as well as a cry for Welsh nationhood and cultural reclamation!
Themes Welsh faeries, Legends, Language, Culture and history, Humans vs faeries, Immortality, Romance, Reclamation of Welsh identity.
Wendy Jeffrey
Poo! What? Where? by Mike Rampton. Illus. by Gareth Conway
Children love books about poo and this new release will be a firm favourite. Written with plenty of toilet humour, Poo! What? Where? is a brightly illustrated soft cover book that will provide many moments of engagement for readers of all ages.
The book opens with clear explanations about what poo is and why it is brown, followed by an impressive full spread diagram tracing the journey of a sandwich through the digestive system. Each organ is labelled, and the six stages of digestion are described in simple, accessible language with key vocabulary highlighted for young readers.
The chapter 'Pooing in the Past' offers some unusual historical facts — from Medieval castle toilets that emptied straight down the walls to Ancient Roman communal benches where people sat side by side and reused rinsed sponges. Later, 'The Problem with Poo' introduces readers to the health risks associated with waste, while 'Pooey Places' explores unusual poo related issues around the world, including the surprising problem of human waste on Mt Everest. Animal lovers will gravitate toward 'Poo in the Zoo', which is packed with memorable trivia: baby hippos, koalas, and pandas eat their mothers’ poo to help them grow, and wombats famously produce cube shaped droppings.
Throughout the book are humorous anecdotal sayings, voice bubbles with clever quirky comments, fascinating facts (did you know Tasmania has a Pooseum?) and detailed graphic-style illustrations that will entertain readers. There is even information about pooing in space and pooing in the future. This book is really a one-stop-shop for all things poo related and covers science, history, and some gross facts!
It will be a very popular addition to a school library.
After enjoying A good girl's guide to murder by Holly Jackson and The reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson, I had no hesitation in picking up the Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Readers' Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2025) for Not quite dead yet, Holly Jackson’s debut adult mystery. Jackson introduces Jet Mason, who has been attacked and suffered severe head injuries. She is not expected to live for more than 7 days, and in this time, she is determined to find her murderer, proving to her mother that she can finish one last important job. With her childhood friend Billy by her side, she begins to collect evidence, trying to work out who might hate her enough to kill her. Is it her former best friend, now her sister-in-law, or her ex-boyfriend who wants to re-unite with her? Does her brother hate her because he might not get control of the family construction business? Does the new chief of police really care about finding the killer? As the countdown continues, I held my breath wondering if Jet would solve her own murder.
Although objectively it was hard to imagine a young woman with an impending aneurysm leaving her hospital bed and investigating her own murder, Jackson manages to convince the reader of that happening. The countdown begins with chapter headings naming the day, and the reader becomes increasingly involved in Jet’s search and her character development. Initially not a very pleasant character, Jackson cleverly shows how a person might change when faced with their own death, and become more aware of the people around her and their motivations. Her humorous asides about her condition also provide relief from the tension in the story. Billy her sidekick was sweet and easy to relate to, while her family members were richly drawn with strengths and weaknesses. There are plenty of red herrings and I found the conclusion surprising, even though it made sense when I traced back to the clues that were laid down.
Even though this was written for adults, older teen fans are sure to enjoy it.
Triggers: Swearing, Family disfunction.
Themes Mystery and thriller, Brain damage, Murder.
Pat Pledger
Oh brother: A graphic memoir by Georgina Chadderton
In this graphic memoir Georgina Chadderton introduces her cartoon character self to the reader, explaining that she loves to draw comics and that she grew up with a younger brother, Rob, who has autism and an intellectual disability. She wants to share what it is like to be a sibling of someone with high support needs and the complicated feelings she experienced. Before Gina starts year 8 at a new high school the family moves to a bigger house during the school holidays. She finds the changes difficult but exciting however it also throws up new challenges in managing Rob’s behaviours, like installing locks on cupboards and the fridge because of his tendency to steal snacks or tear up books. Gina loves her brother, who is non-verbal, and can communicate with him through sign language and the sounds he makes, but when Rob gets frustrated, he has meltdowns and can bite and pinch, something the family is prepared for, but still a problem. Mum, who works in disability support, and Dad, a professional doctor and amateur handyman, seem to have things as under control as they can be, but visits to the hairdresser or dentist are a challenge and what will Gina’s new school friends think, if she is lucky enough to find any? At school some of the other girls make fun of Gina’s boyish appearance, and when she starts her period at school she is too shy to get help, but she finds a friend called Callie who loves her cartooning and seems to have the self-confidence Gina lacks. Callie meets Rob at Gina’s house and she seems cool with his condition, they even have a sleep over while he is in respite care, but when a school project becomes a casualty, and Callie seems to be spending more time with her other friends, will their friendship survive?
The colourful cartoon characters are able to graphically communicate emotional turmoil in a unique way, with humour and compassion, particularly the close relationship between Gina and her brother. There are notes at the end with photos of the family and information about their lives since. One of young Gina’s worries was about how she would look after her brother when her parents couldn’t and it was good to see this articulated and to see how adult Rob is thriving in his own space in supported living. A great way to learn more about neurodiversity but also a well-paced entertaining read that deserves a wide audience, especially as the author is South Australian and it has a satisfying local feel.
Bravepaw and the fangstone of Flintfall by L.M. Wilkinson. Illus. by Lavanya Naidu
Albert Street Books, 2026. ISBN: 9781761182150. (Age:8-12+)
All is not well on the Island of Alluria, there is a crack in the heart of the island allowing Curseworms to enter. Titch, a mouse living on the high plateau, discovering she is the reincarnation of the ancient hero Bravepaw, has taken up the Heartstone staff and driven them away from her home and from Rottwood Mire, but the Darkness cannot be defeated while the Heartstone staff is incomplete and the friends Tich, Huckleberry and the warrior squirrel, Briar, need to find out more about the Gems of Harmony from the great library at Lexhelm. They are flown to Lexhelm by Earna, the Eaglebear and they ask head librarian, Master Sticklepin, about the prophecy. It seems that every 100 years the Dreadroot Monster stirs and Bravepaw must subdue it before it enters Alluria through cracks in the earth. They discover that as well as the Clawstone they have, they must find the Fangstone, the Dreamstone and the Songstone before the Heartstone staff is complete and can defeat their enemies. The friends set out to find the Fangstone and along with physical challenges Bravepaw must trust her instincts in making difficult decisions.
This is the third in the Bravepaw series but there is enough information for a reader to pick up the story so far. Along with black and white illustrations, the highlighting of some words on most pages, using bold print, or capitals or different fonts, breaks up the blocks of text for younger, and less confident readers but does affect the continuity. At under 200 pages each volume in the series is within reach of most readers. There is plenty of action and adventure with an interesting cast of characters; I particularly liked the lavender wolf. Our heroes find out that being fluffy and cute is not always a good test of character and that being brave is not enough without the support of trusted friends.
Themes Fantasy, Adventure, Animals, Friendship.
Sue Speck
Poppy & Pipsqueak: The mighty pipsqueak by Deborah Kelly. Illus. by Amie Sabadin
When Jessie-dog has a puppy much smaller than the others, Dad says it probably won’t survive the night. Poppy is determined to prove that the little pup can do everything the other pups can do. After all, she was born small too.
Poppy convinces her father to let her try to save the puppy by hand-rearing it. Her father agrees that Poppy can raise the puppy now named Pipsqueak, but they can’t keep her. The problem is that dad is a farmer and only wants work dogs on the farm so he tells Poppy that she will need to find another home when she is big enough. Poppy loves her puppy and is determined to show her parents that Pipsqueak is a strong, reliable dog.
This is fabulous book and I especially love the Glossary and Featured Creatures in the back as it will help the reader to understand some of the language used. This is a perfect book for emerging or independent readers with short chapters, great language and beautiful black and white illustrations. I hope that there are more books in this series as I can imagine many more adventures for Poppy and Pipsqueak.
This would make a great read aloud or independent read and is bound to be a favourite with readers who like animals and learning new information particularly around dogs and farm life.
In every country around the world are mums – some short, some tall Though they go by different names, we love them all. A Mummy here, a Mama there, or maybe she’s a Ma. Turn the page, let’s meet some of the greatest, near and far.
And so begins this delightful new rhyming picture book, honouring Mums from around the world. Some of the Mums introduced include Okaasan from Japan. She is a Mum who loves to compete in running events with family supporting her. Anyu from Hungary loves browsing in vintage shops. Aiti from Finland loves nothing better than playing with her child. The final Mum is Miimi, a Gumbaynggir mother who is from Australia’s Mid North Coast region. She loves spending time by the tranquil sea.
The colourful, detailed illustrations capture the joy of each Mum spending time with her family. Each page shares warmth and connection. It is especially wonderful to see Mums represented from all walks of life, each engaged in different activities that reflect their unique personalities and experiences. This inclusive approach enables many readers to see themselves and their families reflected in these moments.
There are so many Mums introduced to young readers in What Do You Call Your Mum? and they all have one thing in common; they love spending time with their family. The extra information in the final pages allows this book to provide interesting teaching and learning moments.
University of Queensland Press, 2026. ISBN: 9780702269226. (Age:9-12) Recommended.
Mitch’s life has just gone through upheaval; he must start at a new school halfway through the school year and he is far from comfortable with the move. His parents are working overseas and their return is delayed, so Mitch is staying with his grandmother until his family can move into their new home. Mitch and his very social sister have very different comfort levels as they enter Year 5 and Year 4 respectively. And the class bully soon targets Mitch. Mitch’s anxiety is at an all-time high … if only he had a dog as a friend. The local park has a tree that looks a little like a big dog, and it seems to be calling to him. A magical moment transforms Mitch’s life with the appearance of Argos, a wild and independent dog of unknown background. His magical strength and confidence gives Mitch an opportunity to grow in confidence and find his way, but first he must protect Argos from threats from his local community. Can Mitch keep Argos or will his size and strength create problems for Mitch? And can Argos’ magic last?
This is a story that weaves gentle magical possibilities with a story of a boy finding himself and finding friendship, and learning to speak out, even in the face of a bully and in uncertain circumstances. Wanting a pet is also a desire that needs to be addressed within his family. This is not an unusual theme in a mid-primary novel, but the solution for Mitch has magical overtones. The story has magical mystery and intrigue as the dog in the story is far from a dog home ‘rescue dog’ but rather is a rescuer in nature. This book will be enjoyed by mid-primary readers (aged 9-12) who enjoy fiction where characters grow in confidence, with realistic storylines sprinkled with magical prospects. The magic is not very intense … more Magic Faraway Tree than Harry Potter. The term ‘witch’ is used for one child character who is not aware of her ‘magic’. The bully is unlikeable and is ‘transformed’ into a duck for a night. The central character also has a brief transformation into an owl - unnecessary for the story, but more magic. Mostly though this is about a boy finding his voice, his own path, and maybe a pet.
Themes Fear and courage, Dogs, Magic, Moving schools, Bullying, Family, Pet ownership.
Carolyn Hull
Treeshape by Trace Balla
Allen & Unwin, 2026. ISBN: 9781761181252. (Age:10+ to adult) Highly recommended.
Treeshape is the deeply moving, deeply personal story of author and illustrator Trace Balla. Using a graphic novel-style to share her journal/diary-like presentation, this stunning book shares aspects of Trace’s life journey and her learning over many years.
Beginning with her love of trees and the connection she shares with them, we learn about her early years with her family and her life in the city. For young Trace, the mother tree became her constant companion to escape the harshness and challenge of city life.
Always questioning, as Trace grows older, she begins to see the challenge that the trees and the land have to be at peace. She joins groups of environmental activists, protests against tree-logging, chooses to live sustainably and returns to her home to learn about Country.
She raises her young son Joe, firstly in the city and then in the country where they spend time learning about their local environment and always, always connecting with trees and Country. For Trace, trees are her grounding place.
The overall presentation of this book is striking. Trace has used photographs of herself and Joe, trees, plants, creatures as backgrounds, as collage pieces, alongside watercolours, ink, sepia tones, natural colours combined with handwritten text and hand drawn images.
It was a privilege to read and review Treeshape, and I hope that others have the opportunity to enjoy and be moved by such an incredible personal story.
Themes First Nation Peoples, Trees, Connection, Environmental Activism, Country & Culture, Family, Friends, Nature, Conservation, Collage, Graphic Novel, Life Story.
Kathryn Beilby
Good young men by Gary Lonesborough
Allen & Unwin, 2026. ISBN: 9781761182174. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
Gary Lonesborough is such a talent! He has written yet another incredibly engaging YA novel that takes you into the heart of life for Aboriginal teenagers on the cusp of adulthood in a small coastal town rife with bullying and racism. The first page sets the scene with council workers scrubbing away the latest graffiti in the shopping centre: ‘WHITE POWER’.
The book is almost three separate stories about Kallum, Jordy, and Dylan, but they are all linked together, by their earlier childhood friendship, and by the memory of Brandon, the fourth friend, now dead, shot by police. Kallum is struggling to fulfil his father’s ambitions for him to become a star football player; Jordy is trying to keep his family together whilst grieving his mother’s death and his father sinking into alcoholism; and Dylan, the one with the bad reputation, is in a kind of limbo between his separated parents. Dylan is the one who was partying with Brandon the night he died, he’s the only one who knows what really happened, and has to go on the witness stand when the murder trial takes place.
All three boys are at a crucial point, having to make decisions about how to act and where they want their lives to go in the future. For Kallum there is the added uncertainty about his sexuality and a tentative exploration of gay friendships online, something that seems fraught with danger.
Lonesborough is a master of bringing to life the world the boys inhabit. His language is literal, simply describing the houses, the furniture, the food they eat, the drinks, the conversations they have. We are taken into that world like watching a film. But somehow he also builds a tension as we watch the boys walk the street, drive cars, go to parties, and meet up with strangers. It’s a tension built from knowing the kind of danger that might occur. On more than one occasion, I found myself dreading what might happen next. I had to keep turning the pages.
In the end Good young men provides positive messages of being true to oneself, valuing family and close friendships, messages that are an undercurrent through all his books. Highly recommended.
Random House, 2025. ISBN: 9780593813188. (Age:8-12) Recommended.
The Dragon’s Apprentice begins with the journal entries of Bianca, who lives in the medieval-like village of Skael. She is an apprentice who is being taught magic by a dragon called Scorch. People in the village contract a fatal cough from working in the mines and magic can cure them. Suddenly we jump a thousand years later and meet Ciara who similarly lives in Skael. She found Bianca’s journal five years ago and it seems to have a personality but is somewhat useless and blank. Yet the journal must have some importance. The tyrannical Warden demands the journal and imprisons her seriously ill mother when it is discovered that they have been hiding it. Luckily Ciara escapes with the journal and manages to evade the Warden and his Drakes (soldiers) while she discovers the power of magic in the journal. She conjures up Scorch the dragon by drawing a magical symbol in the air with her hand. Scorch and Ciara discover how things have gone so bad in Skael and why the villagers have been forbidden to learn magic.
This enjoyable story has a humorous tone with no unnecessary violence. Dragons have taken an oath not to use magic for violence towards humans, which causes an interesting ethical dilemma for a fire-breathing dragon. James Riley has his characters talk in plenty of contemporary banter and therefore makes this story funnier and more relatable to children. Also, he has wisely created an uncomplicated fantasy world. Good versus evil drives the fast-paced plot. Ciara is a brave likable 12-year-old, determined to save her mother and see justice done. Scorch becomes less cranky and kinder as he tries to teach Ciara the rights and wrongs of using magic. The jacket design is appealing and the examples of magic symbols at the end of the book are a nice touch. I found myself trying them out! It would make a good read aloud for 8-to-12 year olds. There is already a sequel.
‘Climate grief is a real thing’, ‘a perpetual loop of what’s the point?’ and ‘a mounting sense of doom’. Ava catalogues the dead. On her first day of work at the Department of the Vanishing she is given a list of 24 species of birds, all now extinct. Her job is to archive all the scientific and cultural materials relating to the extinct species, to preserve their history. It’s a soul destroying job, alleviated only by bursts of manic humour shared with her co-worker Dee as they laugh at the Chief’s mispronunciation of ‘ARCH-ivists’ or vent their anger by punching stacks of documents.
For Ava climate grief is merged with grief over a disappeared father in her childhood, and a disappearing mother succumbing to dementia in an aged care home. The doctor tells her ‘grief can make you do odd things’, ‘compulsive behaviours’ that find outlet in the heightened demands she makes of her lover, the man with the bird feathers tattooed on his arm; anything to keep feeling half alive.
Birds are important. A double-page spread presents an attempt at translating all the bird calls made by Australian species; it’s a cacophony of sounds. Research has shown that hearing birdsong leads to an improvement in the mental wellbeing of listeners. Yet those sounds are disappearing from the urban environment. Imagine the joy of hearing a lyrebird, a bird capable of reproducing the sound of so many other birds in the wild. Sadly the lyrebird becomes the next to appear on Ava’s notification of extinct species.
The novel is set a few years in the future, and takes an emotive verse form, overlain with the ephemera of the archivist’s job: lists, facts, quotes, notes, photographs … and the recorded interview statements with police, for we learn early on that she has been arrested by the NSW Police intergovernmental fraud squad. Gradually, like the archivist herself, the reader pieces together the fragments that build a story of loss and discovery, until the explosive final revelation.
Department of the Vanishing is a very different approach to storytelling, immediately obvious to the reader flicking through the pages. It is full of fascinating detail, duly referenced at the end, but an emotional story is threaded throughout, and ultimately comes together like an intriguing detective story.
