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Depth of Field
In photography, you don't get to have it all. You are always making choices, always making sacrifices.
To capture the light.
Tom's longest-standing commitment is his run-down house Mayfield, which hasn't been the same since Adeline. He's stuck in the past drowning his sorrows in too many bottles of wine and an unfulfilling photography business. Unable to move on Tom is treading water in a low-commitment relationship. The only problem - she isn't Adeline.
Lottie is living with her baby, Coral, in a cramped flat above a fish and chip shop. Struggling to make ends meet, all she wants is to find connection - with her distant mother, the parent's group, her old school friends, but Lottie straddles too many different worlds to quite fit into any of them. She doesn't have much, but at least her and Coral have each other.
Told through alternating perspectives, Kirsty Iltners' debut novel examines the lives of two isolated individuals to reveal the fragility of life and the fallibility of our memories. Winner of the 2023 Dorothy Hewett Award, Depth of Field is a gripping novel in which the mechanisms of photography are allowed to falter just enough to expose how selective and unreliable our memories are, especially when parts of the truth are left out of the frame.
To capture the light.
Tom's longest-standing commitment is his run-down house Mayfield, which hasn't been the same since Adeline. He's stuck in the past drowning his sorrows in too many bottles of wine and an unfulfilling photography business. Unable to move on Tom is treading water in a low-commitment relationship. The only problem - she isn't Adeline.
Lottie is living with her baby, Coral, in a cramped flat above a fish and chip shop. Struggling to make ends meet, all she wants is to find connection - with her distant mother, the parent's group, her old school friends, but Lottie straddles too many different worlds to quite fit into any of them. She doesn't have much, but at least her and Coral have each other.
Told through alternating perspectives, Kirsty Iltners' debut novel examines the lives of two isolated individuals to reveal the fragility of life and the fallibility of our memories. Winner of the 2023 Dorothy Hewett Award, Depth of Field is a gripping novel in which the mechanisms of photography are allowed to falter just enough to expose how selective and unreliable our memories are, especially when parts of the truth are left out of the frame.
315 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2024
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219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 12, 2025
Shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year, 2025
Always a good sign when you find yourself thinking about characters during your day, looking forward to spending time with them later. Depth of Field is told from the perspectives of two such individuals – Tom and Lottie.
Tom, a middle-aged real estate photographer, is stuck in the past, caught up in memories of his former love, Adeline. He lives in Mayfield, a run-down home they once shared, and spends much of his time drinking wine, and navigating a casual relationship going nowhere.
Lottie, a teenage single mother, struggles to make ends meet. She lives with her baby, Coral, in a small flat above a fish and chip shop that makes her worry about smelling like fish. She’s adrift, in survival mode and navigating parents’ groups, a distant mum and friendships slowly growing apart.
“I have her, and she’s everything. As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”
The chapter titles are values in photography; representing the story becoming clearer as things progress - such a clever way of framing the novel. Varying chapter lengths and alternating perspectives kept things interesting too, making the book hard to put down. I loved the poignant subtly of Kirsty’s writing, how raw emotions were explored alongside more light-hearted moments (looking at you Ruby-Amber-Pearl). There are no wasted sentences.
I had an immediate connection to Lottie. Her story had so much heart and desperation, felt undeniably authentic. I loved the various additions to her to-do list, like a grocery list for life. It was enjoyable to learn more about her, see various layers revealed, how her circumstances came to be. Her strength and personality leapt off the page.
Tom’s home, Mayfield, felt like a character of her own; creaking with footsteps, sighing softly as wind whipped around her. It was very effective. Occasionally, I forgot Tom was a male character, as his voice wasn’t always distinct enough from Lottie’s early on. But the dynamics of his relationship with Freya helped shift this and Tom’s story ultimately tugged on the heartstrings.
I loved the unexpected twist! I didn’t see it coming, and it elevated the book to five stars. It helped create a powerful ending that lingered in the mind. I already know I’ll be thinking about these characters and their lives for some time to come.
Depth of Field is a beautifully written story that touches on identity and belonging, while uniquely drawing on life’s parallels to photography. A well-deserving winner of the Dorothy Hewett Award. Highly recommend.
“The risk with such a shallow depth of field was too much movement, from either the photographer or subject, and the focus point could land on the wrong spot.”
Many thanks to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Always a good sign when you find yourself thinking about characters during your day, looking forward to spending time with them later. Depth of Field is told from the perspectives of two such individuals – Tom and Lottie.
Tom, a middle-aged real estate photographer, is stuck in the past, caught up in memories of his former love, Adeline. He lives in Mayfield, a run-down home they once shared, and spends much of his time drinking wine, and navigating a casual relationship going nowhere.
Lottie, a teenage single mother, struggles to make ends meet. She lives with her baby, Coral, in a small flat above a fish and chip shop that makes her worry about smelling like fish. She’s adrift, in survival mode and navigating parents’ groups, a distant mum and friendships slowly growing apart.
“I have her, and she’s everything. As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”
The chapter titles are values in photography; representing the story becoming clearer as things progress - such a clever way of framing the novel. Varying chapter lengths and alternating perspectives kept things interesting too, making the book hard to put down. I loved the poignant subtly of Kirsty’s writing, how raw emotions were explored alongside more light-hearted moments (looking at you Ruby-Amber-Pearl). There are no wasted sentences.
I had an immediate connection to Lottie. Her story had so much heart and desperation, felt undeniably authentic. I loved the various additions to her to-do list, like a grocery list for life. It was enjoyable to learn more about her, see various layers revealed, how her circumstances came to be. Her strength and personality leapt off the page.
Tom’s home, Mayfield, felt like a character of her own; creaking with footsteps, sighing softly as wind whipped around her. It was very effective. Occasionally, I forgot Tom was a male character, as his voice wasn’t always distinct enough from Lottie’s early on. But the dynamics of his relationship with Freya helped shift this and Tom’s story ultimately tugged on the heartstrings.
I loved the unexpected twist! I didn’t see it coming, and it elevated the book to five stars. It helped create a powerful ending that lingered in the mind. I already know I’ll be thinking about these characters and their lives for some time to come.
Depth of Field is a beautifully written story that touches on identity and belonging, while uniquely drawing on life’s parallels to photography. A well-deserving winner of the Dorothy Hewett Award. Highly recommend.
“The risk with such a shallow depth of field was too much movement, from either the photographer or subject, and the focus point could land on the wrong spot.”
Many thanks to the author for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 7, 2024
.....📚 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 📚.....
Depth of Field by Kirsty Iltners is a beautiful and poignant novel about choices and sacrifice. A debut Australian novel that I'm sure will be followed by other greats from this author.
Tom is a middle-aged photographer whose longest standing commitment is to his run-down house. Tom's life hasn't been the same since Adeline. Stuck in his past, Tom lives his life drowning his sorrows in too much wine whilst trying to keep his unfulfilled photography business afloat. Tom's life is going nowhere, unable to move on from Adeline. He is treading water in a low commitment relationship with Freya, but she's just not Adeline.
Lottie is a 17 year old single mother to Coral. Living alone with her baby in a cramped, smelly flat above a fish and chip shop, Lottie struggles to make ends meet. Alone and lonely, Lottie is searching for connection - with her distant mother, a new parents group, her old school friends, but Lottie no longer fits into any of these worlds. Too grown up for some, but too young for others. She doesn't have much, but at least her and Coral have each other.
Told from the perspectives of these two unique and isolated narrators, the fragility of life and the fallibility of memories is examined. In particular, the voice of Lottie was so genuine and heartbreaking, the 17 year old mother within me felt so seen in this novel. The internal struggle of doubt and fitting in, whilst also trying to present as together and competent, really struck a chord with me, and I am sure will with other readers. I absolutely loved this character driven novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5).
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Thank you to @kirstyiltners and @uwapublishing for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
Depth of Field by Kirsty Iltners is a beautiful and poignant novel about choices and sacrifice. A debut Australian novel that I'm sure will be followed by other greats from this author.
Tom is a middle-aged photographer whose longest standing commitment is to his run-down house. Tom's life hasn't been the same since Adeline. Stuck in his past, Tom lives his life drowning his sorrows in too much wine whilst trying to keep his unfulfilled photography business afloat. Tom's life is going nowhere, unable to move on from Adeline. He is treading water in a low commitment relationship with Freya, but she's just not Adeline.
Lottie is a 17 year old single mother to Coral. Living alone with her baby in a cramped, smelly flat above a fish and chip shop, Lottie struggles to make ends meet. Alone and lonely, Lottie is searching for connection - with her distant mother, a new parents group, her old school friends, but Lottie no longer fits into any of these worlds. Too grown up for some, but too young for others. She doesn't have much, but at least her and Coral have each other.
Told from the perspectives of these two unique and isolated narrators, the fragility of life and the fallibility of memories is examined. In particular, the voice of Lottie was so genuine and heartbreaking, the 17 year old mother within me felt so seen in this novel. The internal struggle of doubt and fitting in, whilst also trying to present as together and competent, really struck a chord with me, and I am sure will with other readers. I absolutely loved this character driven novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5).
.
.
.
.
.
Thank you to @kirstyiltners and @uwapublishing for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
January 30, 2025
Astounding. Accomplished. Amazing. Two seemingly separate (and slightly depressing) stories of "lost souls" told in sequence that are brought together brilliantly at the unexpected ending. Loved the development of Tom and Lottie - their backstories, their current lives, their relationships. Wonderful writing. The ending is quite breathtaking and caused me to reconsider what I had come to believe about the two. And while the subject matter is often bleak, it is told with love, humour and some hope.
January 10, 2025
A stunning shot of a young girl leading a horse up a dirt path, the sky behind them pierced with low and dark grey clouds, was among the National Portrait Prize finalists in 2021.
Photographer Kirsty Iltners also won the 2023 Dorothy Hewitt Award for her debut novel, Depth of Field.
Cleverly weaving photographic terms with the plight of its two narrators, each of the book’s three sections capture three key principles of photography - shutter speed, aperture and light sensitivity.
Tom is a middle-aged real estate photographer who has long lost his passion for his craft; it’s now just a job. He could be a dreary character but somehow he is not.
It’s an almost comical moment when at one of the shoots, Tom has so little interest in the name of a real estate agent he is working with, the reader can only assume its something like Sapphire,
Crystal or Amethyst. Likewise, as Tom leaves another house, a dog’s mournful howl echos in his ears.
‘I see this dog, in different houses, in different yards, every other week. Golden retrievers with sad eyes. Labradors fat from not enough exercise. Staffies that roll onto their backs, submissive and anxious.
Chihuahuas that slink and tremble at heavy footsteps…’ he says.
The void in Tom’s life, the reader learns from the outset, stems from his memories of Adeline, a beautiful young woman he is no longer in touch with. The reason for her absence
is revealed slowly and skilfully, like the care Tom once took with photography when he was still fascinated by the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
Lottie is a teenaged mum struggling to make ends meet. Her story is intertwined with Tom’s in alternating chapters, up until she turns 18.
The last few chapters of Depth of Field are especially poignant - they fall in a section devoted to ISO. The higher the ISO number, the greater the ability of a camera to capture more light -
this is reflected back in both Tom’s and Lottie’s realities, allowing for a magical ending.
Congratulations to Kirsty on this fabulous debut.
Photographer Kirsty Iltners also won the 2023 Dorothy Hewitt Award for her debut novel, Depth of Field.
Cleverly weaving photographic terms with the plight of its two narrators, each of the book’s three sections capture three key principles of photography - shutter speed, aperture and light sensitivity.
Tom is a middle-aged real estate photographer who has long lost his passion for his craft; it’s now just a job. He could be a dreary character but somehow he is not.
It’s an almost comical moment when at one of the shoots, Tom has so little interest in the name of a real estate agent he is working with, the reader can only assume its something like Sapphire,
Crystal or Amethyst. Likewise, as Tom leaves another house, a dog’s mournful howl echos in his ears.
‘I see this dog, in different houses, in different yards, every other week. Golden retrievers with sad eyes. Labradors fat from not enough exercise. Staffies that roll onto their backs, submissive and anxious.
Chihuahuas that slink and tremble at heavy footsteps…’ he says.
The void in Tom’s life, the reader learns from the outset, stems from his memories of Adeline, a beautiful young woman he is no longer in touch with. The reason for her absence
is revealed slowly and skilfully, like the care Tom once took with photography when he was still fascinated by the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
Lottie is a teenaged mum struggling to make ends meet. Her story is intertwined with Tom’s in alternating chapters, up until she turns 18.
The last few chapters of Depth of Field are especially poignant - they fall in a section devoted to ISO. The higher the ISO number, the greater the ability of a camera to capture more light -
this is reflected back in both Tom’s and Lottie’s realities, allowing for a magical ending.
Congratulations to Kirsty on this fabulous debut.
September 2, 2024
This award-winning novel captures a snapshot of two people, Tom and Lottie, who find themselves living on the margins, lonely and longing. Iltners uses photographic imagery in an evocative way to illustrate our fallibility and desire to curate our lives, both present and past. It really made me reflect on how easy it is to judge others based on the smallest slivers of information and how anxious we all are to present ourselves in a favourable light.
As a reader I found myself immersed in the lives of the two protagonists, seeing the world from their POV. This forced me to reflect on my own hard-wired views and how inaccurate they often are. I held my breath in the final chapters as Iltners pulls the threads of two broken lives together towards a surprising ending that leaves the reader many questions to ponder.
It is fascinating how we hold others to such impossible standards while knowing that deep down our hearts are fallible and fragile. I suspect we all know deep down that logic plays so little role in the most important decisions we make about our lives. So many of our best decisions around loving and living are spontaneous and impulsive and yet we are so unforgiving and ruthless in shining a spotlight on others’ failings.
This is such a thought-provoking book. I found myself flicking back to some of the powerful prose and re reading it as new truths were gradually revealed.
A book for anyone fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Be prepared to reflect on your own views and to feel uncomfortable. The perfect read for a book club prepared to have difficult discussions.
As a reader I found myself immersed in the lives of the two protagonists, seeing the world from their POV. This forced me to reflect on my own hard-wired views and how inaccurate they often are. I held my breath in the final chapters as Iltners pulls the threads of two broken lives together towards a surprising ending that leaves the reader many questions to ponder.
It is fascinating how we hold others to such impossible standards while knowing that deep down our hearts are fallible and fragile. I suspect we all know deep down that logic plays so little role in the most important decisions we make about our lives. So many of our best decisions around loving and living are spontaneous and impulsive and yet we are so unforgiving and ruthless in shining a spotlight on others’ failings.
This is such a thought-provoking book. I found myself flicking back to some of the powerful prose and re reading it as new truths were gradually revealed.
A book for anyone fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Be prepared to reflect on your own views and to feel uncomfortable. The perfect read for a book club prepared to have difficult discussions.
November 17, 2024
Oh wow! A beautifully written novel following two people’s stories. They are both lonely and struggling. One is a middle aged man who is in a loveless relationship longing for his ex, the other is a young single mother on the poverty line. We learn about each of them from their own perspective, the book moves from one to the other. I loved both of their stories and the reveals throughout. While I was a little frustrated by the inaccuracy of Australia’s welfare support for single mothers in the end it didn’t matter. This is a novel that goes deep into how we behave, the little lies we tell, how we ignore others’ pain and the complexity of families. The photography theme makes it even more interesting. Photography is selective and so is memory.
July 21, 2025
This character focused novel uses photographic language as metaphor to describe aspects of life. It is told between the alternating perspectives of two different individuals, each equally lonely and isolated in their lives — a dissatisfied photographer biding his time in a casual relationship after losing the love of his life, and a teenage mum living on welfare in a one-bedroom apartment above a fish and chip store. The storylines are seemingly completely separate and unrelated at first, but both examine what it’s like to be alone and longing for real connection. I feel like this book really got inside the characters heads and their thoughts and feelings, and the plot was surprisingly twisty. I enjoyed it far beyond my expectations going in.
July 30, 2024
Really enjoyed this. the writing was gentle and insightful. Like other readers I thought about the characters after I read it, and their situations. Written so well you felt the pain and frustration - especially with 'the system' and being a part of it and not being able to escape.
Things happen, but they're not over-egged, they happen. And sure nothing 'major' happens, however I really enjoyed the insight, the comparison of photography light/dark settings on how we view the world, and how memories can be misleading, as well as our own thoughts.
Things happen, but they're not over-egged, they happen. And sure nothing 'major' happens, however I really enjoyed the insight, the comparison of photography light/dark settings on how we view the world, and how memories can be misleading, as well as our own thoughts.
September 3, 2025
Tom and Lottie lead distant and very different lives - nothing in common it would seem.
Tom, the photographer with his bottles of wine and failed relationships.
Lottie, a teenage mother, with her baby and the mother who is withdrawn and unhelpful.
As with photography, tricks of a camera and the use of technology, we are only shown what others want us to see. Everyone has secrets.
Kirsty Iltners did a good job of drawing her interesting characters slowly together and leading us to a surprising conclusion.
Tom, the photographer with his bottles of wine and failed relationships.
Lottie, a teenage mother, with her baby and the mother who is withdrawn and unhelpful.
As with photography, tricks of a camera and the use of technology, we are only shown what others want us to see. Everyone has secrets.
Kirsty Iltners did a good job of drawing her interesting characters slowly together and leading us to a surprising conclusion.
May 28, 2024
Beginning from the very first page I honestly couldn't put this book down. I can see how this probing debut novel by Kirsty Iltners, won the 2023 Dorathy Hewitt Award.
Seriously you will love this page turning novel … it will not disappoint. Snippets throughout the book; along with the unexpected ending had me questioning my personal biases and the reliability of my own memory. Don't pass this book, it's well worth your time.
Highly recommended.
Seriously you will love this page turning novel … it will not disappoint. Snippets throughout the book; along with the unexpected ending had me questioning my personal biases and the reliability of my own memory. Don't pass this book, it's well worth your time.
Highly recommended.
July 22, 2025
I absolutely loved this novel. It’s the first book I’ve finished within two days in years, and it reminded me why I love reading in the first place. Kirsty is a seriously talented writer – this is an incredible debut. It’s one of those quiet, powerful stories that lingers with you long after you finish. I’ll be recommending it to everyone.
May 4, 2024
Terrific book. Couldn’t put it down, so had to read in one sitting! Intelligent and compelling story and is superbly well written. 5 stars!
September 2, 2024
The plot twist near the end. BOOM 💥
May 15, 2025
A must-read debut novel. Beautifully written. This one is going to stay with me for a while, and then I might read it again. Simply wonderful
August 5, 2025
What an incredible debut by Kirsty Iltners!
The characters and well drawn out, the connection between the two narratives unclear.
But once you realise… Wow!
The characters and well drawn out, the connection between the two narratives unclear.
But once you realise… Wow!
June 12, 2024
rr. love u tom
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews