The Desert Knows Her Name

by Lia Hills

Listen deeply now, if you remember how and why.

On a hot October afternoon, a girl walks barefoot out of the Wimmera desert, near the small town of Gatyekarr.

She finds sanctuary with Beth, a regenerative farmer and collector of seeds, devoted to bringing her family's farm back to live.

The arrival of the mysterious 'desert girl' unsettles the community and old tensions erupt. The longer the girl stays silent, the more volatile the town becomes. Who is she and what does her presence mean?

The Desert Knows Her Name is an exquisite novel that speaks to a deep longing for connection with the land, and the silences that persist in contemporary Australia.

Genres: Fiction, Australia, Environment, Historical, Historical Fiction, Novels, Book Club

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2024

About the author

Lia Hills is a poet, novelist and translator. Her work has been published, translated and performed in countries as varied as Japan, Switzerland and the US.

Lia’s latest novel, The Crying Place, is due for release with Allen and Unwin in March 2017. Recipient of a Creative Victoria grant in 2012 for her work on the novel, Lia has travelled regularly to the centre of Australia to research and write The Crying Place, set partly in Pitjantjatjara country. As part of the process, Lia stayed in Aboriginal communities and began learning the Pitjantjatjara language.

Her debut young adult novel, The Beginner’s Guide to Living received starred reviews and was shortlisted for the Victorian, Queensland and Western Australian Premiers’ Literary Awards, and the NZ Post Book Awards, among others. Her novel was translated into several languages and sold into numerous countries, including Germany, Brazil and the US (Farrer, Straus & Giroux), where it was released into the adult, young adult and crossover markets.

Lia’s translation of Marie Darrieussecq’s acclaimed novel, Tom is Dead, from French to English, was described as ‘a text as powerful as the original’ (The Monthly). Following its successful reception, Lia was asked to teach a double-Masters class in literary translation at Monash University, a joint venture with Jean Moulin University (Lyon).

Upon the release of her first poetry collection, the possibility of flight, both the collection and individual poems garnered awards. Her work as poet also includes the widely-praised Moving Galleries, a poetry/art project on Melbourne’s train network. Co-initiator, Lia worked with the project from its inception, and was appointed director when the project became an independent entity in 2011.

Lia lives with her family in the hills outside Melbourne, where she works full-time as a writer, often observed by birds.

Reviews

[Courtney Salce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so confused.
Firstly, it was beautifully written. Every sentence sounded like a sweet lullaby. However… I have no idea on where the plot went. Did I miss something? Who is everyone, and what is their deal?!?

[Michael Earp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking! Immediately one of my favourite novels.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big thanks to Affirm Press for sending us a copy to read and review.
A young girl wanders to a homestead on the fringe of the desert, she is not verbal and is barefoot.
Instinctively she lands at the right home as speculation, tensions and truths unsettle the town.
Who is she and why does she trigger the past?
Beth is a regenerative farmer operating a seed collecting and indigenous plant nursery.
A lifestyle thrust upon her after her parents died on the same day.
A stray child set to change her life.
Gradually trust and a mutual understanding develop between Beth and the girl.
She was shielded from public curiosity and danger.
A form of communication developed unlocking a little of the mystery and a natural kinship formed.
The rattling of past skeletons create havoc and Beth will do what it takes to protect and nurture.
This story was intricate and diverse in its plot.
The regenerative and environmental facet was awesome, the mystery and its connotations intriguing and the vivid landscape descriptions promoted the region beautifully.

[ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

slow to start but a gripping climax, many narrative twists and turns

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hills gives voice to the silences most overlook in this exquisitely rendered tale. I marvelled on every page at the expertly woven human and natural history tapestry, which speaks volumes of her deep empathy for people and the natural world. This book has so much to teach every reader, without the least hint of condescension or dogma. It is a story that sucks you in from page one and unable to step out until the end. I admit I read it too hungrily to savour the eloquent poetry of Hills’ phrasing, so I have no choice but to re-read it again soon.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful writing.
The story was so well woven together. Who is the Desert Girl? What is her story? Why is she here?
In a small town on the edge of the Wimmera, a small girl walks out of the desert. She finds safe haven with Beth, a woman with her mission to replenish the land that generations of farming has depleted. She is the seed-gatherer.
We have Nate, the town publican, who has demons of his own. A past that freshly haunts him with the appearance of 'the Desert Girl'.
The town is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary, but things are slowly coming undone as the mystery of who is this girl and why is she here.
The author brings alive the sounds and sights of the desert through a beautiful and thoughtful prose.

[SS · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mysterious girl, seemingly blown in from the desert, appears at Beth's house, located in a small town in the Wimmera region.

Beth grew up in this house, but with her parents now gone, she lives alone, growing her business, harvesting native seeds from the desert.

Nate, also a long-term local, now owns the pub, the heart and gossip centre of this small rural town. Nate and Beth have a friendship that stands them a little apart from the rest of the town's folk.

The intertwine of these three characters' lives and the shadow of settlement and Aboriginal history make for an interesting contemporary novel.

The first half of the book had me hooked, but I felt the narrative lost its momentum in the second half with many interesting but voluminous themes added. Worthy themes, but I just felt like the author bit off more than the story could chew.

Listened as an audiobook

Descriptions of the natural world throughout the book were evoking, and these really sung to me.

[Kym Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Maybe because I spent a number of years in a small town in the Wimmera it particularly resonated with me, the descriptions of the land and the small towns but I think aside from that, it’s very touching.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Desert Knows Her Name is a beautiful work of literary fiction from Australian author Lia Hills. With a mystery at its heart, this atmospheric tale was both emotional and gripping. I listened to this as an audiobook read by some of my favourite narrators Anna Hruby, Jo Van Es, Marli Williams and Nic English.

Set in the hot dry climate of the Wimmera, a mysterious girl emerges from the desert. Beth, a regenerative farmer and seed collector who is trying to resurrect her family’s farm, takes the young silent girl in as they try to work out who she is and where she has come from. Her arrival causes a lot of tension in the small rural community as old secrets and lies begin to emerge.

The Desert Knows Her Name is a story dominated by nature and the environment. From Beth “the seed planter”, to a secretive sect known as The Harvesters and the indigenous example of people’s relationship with the land, there is no escaping the devastation that humans have caused. The history of this region is also at the forefront and the atrocities that have occurred to Aboriginal people.

I enjoyed the way the story was told from the POVs of both Beth and Nate, the local pub owner as well as a third party perspective that observes all that occurs. Both Beth and Nate were intriguing characters whose backstories made for interesting reading.

The Desert Knows Her Name is a compelling and thought provoking read for fans of novels like Limberlost and The Yield. I highly recommend the audiobook for this one.

[Celine Cardillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It captures the beauty of the desert and the deep emotions of the characters. The narrative seamlessly weaves together past and present, revealing history secrets and personal discovery all through this mysterious ‘girl from the desert’. Beautiful written and captured. I feel the wind, taste the desert, you live and breathe this incredible landscape whilst reading.

Sometimes we need to just listen and listen deeply.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a brilliant story. A girl walks out of the dessert and doesn't speak. One would think it was a mystery novel, but it is so much more.

This is a novel about regeneration. Regeneration of the desert girl, but importantly regeneration of this land, the desert, and the natural world.

I very much enjoyed the different voices in this novel, the literary slow burn and the many twists and turns.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to love about this book, but it was also confusing at times and the plot felt inclusive.

The audio version was very well done with a full cast of actors which kept me engaged

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 🌟

[Tay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very hard to read. Struggled understanding the point of the book. There was no plot to the story. Very disappointed

[Sharon Gamble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that can be discussed at book club, or at the pub. There is something reminiscent of “Bereft” by Chris Womersley in this title.

I value the story for its trickery and its wisdom. How much can you solve of its story? It’s a puzzle that might not be recognised and you must read to the end to understand all perspectives, or perhaps re-read. It’s about a community, and the author’s use of technology is a brilliant way to show us her ideas.

I value the nature, the wording, and the personalities within. The beautiful and detailed living landscape (even the gin experimentation is a wonder) but especially the relationships between vastly different characters.

The “idea that you can distil the essence of a thing” is why the Historical Society and the Pub are integral to this book. They explain how we are all relating to each other both now and within a vast timescale.

The ‘Desert Girl’ is intriguing because she seems contrary in her actions, yet also so sensitive. The desire to continue reading, to find the reason for ignition, is what drove my reading. And the mystery is interesting. As one who usually tries to steer clear of violence, is it menacing? Not too much, “anything’s menacing, depending your take”. “Listen deeply now”

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel where silence takes centre stage and informs the entire novel.

The Desert Knows Her Name is Lia Hills' second novel, coming after The Crying Place (2017) was longlisted for the Miles Franklin.  It's interesting to read the review at Theresa Smith Writes where she writes about needing to work at understanding it, and feeling like you’re on the verge of something important, it��s just unclear as to what that important thing is.  And then slowly slipping into the story and becoming invested in its characters.  The silences in  The Desert Knows Her Name have the same effect.

It was interesting to read in the Author's Note about her method.  Apparently she went on location to the Wyperfeld National Park  in the Mallee and used voice recognition software to record the story as she narrated it out loud.

[It] involved walking into remote, desert areas of the park to narrate specific scenes.  This practice enables me to become more aware of my surroundings while I narrate sounds other than my voice — birdsong, wind through trees — picked up by the software and 'translated' into words.  Although these words don't usually make any grammatical sense, they are part of the language of a place.  (p.316)

But though we read a lot about birds and the wind and the rustles and scratchings of bush creatures, it is the silence of the central character which drives the mystery in the novel. She walks in from the desert into Beth's quiet, almost monastic life (except for her experiments with bush-flavoured gins) and offers no explanation for her presence, or for her trauma, obvious from her behaviour and eventually revealed on her skin.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2024/06/15/t...

[Christine Yunn-Yu Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Desert Knows Her Name, by Upwey author Lia Hills, was recently launched at Belgrave Library, of which this reviewer is a patron. An interview with the award-winning poet and novelist was provided by journalist Gabriella Vukman on May 25 via The Star Mail, a community newspaper supported by this reviewer. Please note that Upwey and Belgrave are suburbs in the Dandenong Ranges southeast of Melbourne in the State of Victoria in Australia.

“I always hold a launch out here in the hills in order to celebrate with the local community who are very supportive,” Hills was quoted as saying. “I often write on my back verandah surrounded by huge messmates and I am very much embedded in the natural world.”

The author's third novel is exquisitely lyrical and reads like a piece of nature writing. Set in the fictional town of Gatyekarr in Wimmera, the desert-like region in western Victoria, the story begins with a girl walking barefoot out of the desert and finding sanctuary with Beth, a regenerative farmer and seed collector.

As the girl can't or won't speak, Beth enlists the help of local pub owner Nate in trying to decipher the mysteries surrounding her arrival. But the emergence of the “desert girl” unsettles the community, right on the eve of a festival celebrating the town's 150 years of history.

Old tensions erupt, revealing dark secrets. Through the eyes of Beth and Nate, we see the town struggling to remember and reconcile with its violent past. Meanwhile, there are gossips, speculations and wild rumours, not to mention those outsiders hoping to benefit from the situation.

With that said, this is not an ordinary novel relying on the “small town with a dark secret” trope. Instead of the thrill of action-packed investigation and ultimate revelation, readers are invited to engage with the characters and observe their connections with the land, where all answers are hidden.

Indeed, the third and omnipresent narrator of the story may well be the land itself, which offers a reverse chronology tracking the girl's journey out of the desert. Its voice mixed with the mesmerising sounds and movements of local flora and fauna, the land gently and consistently asks us to listen:

“The wind calms and the land speaks. What came before. What will follow. Listen deeply, ever deeper. You remember how and why.” These sentences at the end of the story echo the words of poet John Shaw Neilson quoted on the book's first page: “The silent shall speak, and the ears of / The deaf shall be shaken with sound.”

Not just Neilson, but those wildlife and plants indigenous to the Wimmera region are meticulously researched and vividly presented in the story, especially throughout Beth's narration. The character's devotion to reviving the farm has helped instil a sense of responsibility and urgency to protect the nameless and silent girl – a symbol of the land.

But whether or not the girl is identified is beyond the point, as it is how those around her respond to her presence that is the story's focus. As Hills explains: “What would be the story they would project onto her and how does that relate to their relationship with the land?”

Highly recommended.

[Novel Feelings · Rating 4 out of 5]

The central mystery of The Desert Knows Her Name is the identity of the girl who walks out of the desert and into a small town. However, to me, the most fascinating part about The Desert Knows Her Name is not necessarily the ‘desert girl’ herself, but rather the way those who encounter her impose their own meanings and stories upon her. Curiosity and rumours become myths to some; to others, she’s a ghost from the past. The town of Gatyekarr is fictional, but the dark parts of its history reflect Australia’s often violent history when it comes to the treatment of Indigenous people by colonisers. (It is clarified in the story that the girl is not Indigenous, but her appearance triggers memories of a particular event in the town’s history to do with Indigenous people.) The book is respectful in its reflection of the past, and Lia Hills’ acknowledgments at the end of the book indicate how much research and thought had gone into the writing.

Lia Hills’ poetic writing evokes the very specific environment of an Australian desert and rural town. I know nothing about the animals or plants mentioned in the book, but I can almost feel the atmosphere and hear the people. The writing style also lends itself well to reflective moments for the main characters, Beth and Nate, and we get a good sense of their inner selves throughout the story.

On the other hand, sometimes I felt that this style of writing means the plot became a little lost. It is a personal preference, but I found myself skipping over sentences to scan for information that advances the plot. I don’t know if I’ve missed essential information or if we were never meant to get the full answers, but I got to the end still not knowing the answer to the questions about the girl’s identity.

All in all, The Desert Knows Her Name tells a story of Australia’s past that should be told more often. Readers who love evocative writing and stories grounded in a strong sense of place will enjoy this book.

Review by Priscilla from Novel Feelings blog and podcast - where two psychologists take a deep dive into your favourite books

[Matthew Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

What stories do we tell ourselves about our ancestors? Our homes? Our communities? How do we choose which stories to pass on and which ones should be buried? In The Desert Knows Her Name, Lia Hills explores questions of how people connect with land and with history. It focuses on the history of violence towards First Nations people during the colonisation of Australia and how that history still resonates in country communities.

This book is very poetic and reflective. It has vivid descriptions of the outback, especially the natural environment. It has a variety of characters with different backgrounds and perspectives that bounce off each other as the story progresses. I wouldn't say many of the characters other than the main characters are likeable but we also don't get that much interaction with the side characters to care too much either way. It's very focused on the lead characters Beth, Nate and The Girl. The plot is that a mysterious girl has showed up at Beth's house having walked out of the desert. The girl doesn't speak a word which sparks a lot of speculation about her in the community.

While I wasn't bored by the story, I found parts of it a bit too far-fetched. Mostly, the poetic dialog in parts was too much. Some characters gave expositional speeches that would sound ridiculous if anyone said them in real life. That might be a conceit of the genre though, I don't read a lot of literature.

I was very disappointed by the ending. If you open the book hoping it will be a mystery that ends with the revelation of who the girl is and why she came out of the desert, I'm afraid you only get the most vague explanation. I get that the author made a decision and wanted us to focus on everyone's reaction to the girl, but the whole setup of the book was as a mystery so I think it's unfair to deny readers resolution when you've used that element to draw them in.

Having said that, the evocative prose and reflection on the legacy of colonisation was thought provoking and heartfelt.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The desert is a guardian. Of secrets. Of stories adapted to drought.’

This is Ms Hills’s third novel, and both language and silence shape the story and my response to it. The novel is set in the fictional town of Gatyekarr in the Wimmera, a desert-like region in western Victoria. A barefoot girl walks out of the desert and finds sanctuary with Beth, a regenerative farmer and seed collector. The girl does not speak, and Beth seeks the help of Nate, the local pub owner, to try to understand who the girl is and where she is from.

But Gatyekarr is a small community and like all communities has secrets. And the arrival of the ‘desert girl’, on the eve of the town’s sesquicentennial celebrations is unsettling. Who is she? Where is she from? What is her past? One silent person becomes both catalyst and lightening rod for a town with secrets. Silence is a vacuum, and vacuums are abhorred by nature. Apparently. This vacuum of knowledge is filled with gossip and speculation, with people who see an opportunity in this situation.

And so, the story continues. The land holds the answers. If two narrators, Beth and Nate, provide us with history and human context, I see the land itself as an omniscient third narrator: asking us to listen and observe.

Who is the girl? At some stage in the novel her identity became less important to me than the fact of her presence and her impact on people and place around her.

This is a novel I will revisit. Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Conor King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lia Hills can write very effective narrative, which holds this book together just. The story of the girl who walks in out of the desert (is north west Victoria really 'desert'?) to be sheltered by Beth, with help from local pub owner Nate drove my read. Who is the girl, and how does the local township respond to her arrival, make the book work.

From Hills' afterwords she takes very seriously the effort to tie that story to an assessment of identity with country as felt by numerous types of people- the traditional post invasion farmers, the remaining Indigenous folk, the 21st century modern world people wanting to revive the landscape. The person who gave me the book found this too didactic. I am less aligned to the question but found it ok.

More annoying is the desire to add in every possible detail - the dead grandfather had to have died in WW1 France, his bones being ploughed up still; the lack of Aboriginal history in school education; the song has to be Nick Cave - and the two dimensional plot moving along characters outside the central 3.

The solution to the girl's origins: suggested more than detailed, it kind of works. Anything more specific would not. Why the reviewer at Readings MElbourne thinks she is Indigenous puzzles me - the Indigenous elder in the book explicitly says No.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The girl is on the move, the sand ochre-pink and hot beneath her feet ... The wind makes a game of her hair ... The bush thins. Grain invaders abound. She is almost there, the boundary marked by a trail of dirt ... The birds are onto her. The message has gone around. The butcherbird is singing his piece. But she is determined. A girl walks out of the desert. This version of the story begins."

A young girl walks out of the Wimmera desert and into the home of regenerative farmer and seed collector Bess who is trying to right the wrongs of her families past destruction of the land. Along with the non-verbal child, and Bess, the local publican Nate and Pearl, a descent from one of the original families, are key figures in this novel. Who is this girl, what and where has she escaped from and why is she here are the key questions. Along the way other themes around the environment, silence and language, care, and aspects of the past are explored.

This is a beautifully written novel and the author's background as a poet results in some superbly crafted passages and evocative descriptions. But for all of that my initial interest in the child, which was so well established in the opening, and the subsequent plot and thematic explorations went missing as the novel meandered along with little resolution.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lia Hills is a poet and that shows in her evocative writing. It is very much nature writing with a focus on the natural environment. The novel is set in an outback town in the Wimmera area of Victoria. One October day a young girl walks out of the desert near the small town of Gateyarr. She is taken in by Beth, a collector of seeds especially of native grasses who is working to regenerate her own land. It is apparent that the girl has escaped from some violent situation and is traumatized and cannot speak. Gradually with the gentle and patient "space" she is given by Beth, the girl is gradually able to reclaim her voice.

The story unfolds through the characters of Beth and her friend, local publican Nate, punctuated by chapters by an unknown omniscient narrator. The novel deals with farming practices and the treatment of the indigenous peoples by early settlers and focusses on the "desert girl" and her unsettling presence in the town. The story was interesting and the characters engaging but I felt very let down by the ending which did not really explain where the girl had come from.

[Bazz Sherwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb novel by Lia Hills. Set in the remote Wimmera Region of Victoria where I spent much of my working life, a young girl walks out of the desert near the small town of Gateyarr. The disappearance of children into the bush in the 1880s was not unheard of; three children went missing near Mitre Rock in the Wimmera, and my grandmother's young sister was lost to the bush near Ballarat.

The girl is taken in by Beth who has returned from the city to regenerate the farmland of her family. The girl does not speak but Beth gently accepts her and gives her space. For most of the story we do not know whether the girl is Aboriginal or not, but she clearly has been traumatised. Rumours fly in this small community and she becomes known as the "desert girl". The treatment of Aboriginal people by white settlers in previous generations is gradually revealed and this leads eventually to the girl recovering her voice. "The Desert Knows Her Name" tantalisingly leaves some questions unanswered, and it is a powerful story that is beautifully told.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quintessentially Australian, this book is rich with observations and descriptions of local wildlife and native plants, akin to natural history writing. It is like listening to the landscape breathe. This poetic language serves as backdrop to a story about a girl who wanders out of the desert one day, mute and seemingly worse for wear. Surrounded by the sounds of nature, it is this girl’s silence that sits at the core of the story, and the slow journey of her reclamation of voice. In broad strokes it is a portrait of the people who have come to reside in a small regional town, those who stay and those who choose to return there, and the community they form. It is about regenerative farming, and human recuperation, and above all the stories of the land, and the acts committed upon it.

[Tim Unwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

After _The Beginner's Guide to Living_, I was really looking forward to reading this but confess to being a little disappointed. I think the author tries too hard to turn a story about the people of an outback town into a paean to the ancient wisdom of the land. It almost feels as though she is working to turn a 'white' drama into a first nations narrative, but who is she writing for and where is she writing from? For me it doesn't quite work, despite (and sometimes because of) its beautiful purple passages.

[Mirelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on the insistence of one of the women from book club who raved about it. I wish I could have enjoyed it more because Hills' prose was beautiful. But i just couldn't get past Beth's questionable decision-making. When the girl emerged from the desert, she took her in like a stray cat, not informing the authorities as 99.9% of the adult population would, even giving her a pet name, Freya. I persevered, despite the second half of the book feeling increasingly rushed, for the mystery of the desert girl to be resolved. I almost screamed in frustration when it was not.

[Roxanne Bodsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The landscape in the book is not just a setting, it's the main character, it is Country. There are layers on layers of memory from the immediately personal to the generational to the imaginary to the ancient, shifting in the desert sands. Like every other character, I felt like this was my story. Yet it all revolves around just a girl. Fear, guilt, fascination, beauty, horror, this novel has it all and told with such a delicate touch that judges no-one but holds us all accountable. Silence speaks.

[Gavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that provides an interesting version on the "child disappears in the Australian bush" trope - this time the child emerges from the Australian desert. Creates an interesting small country town backdrop to consider themes of the environment (particularly farming practices) and treatment of indigenous Australians (both today and in the past). Wonderfully crafted - you can really feel the sense of place in the constant (welcome) references to the flora and fauna. Subtly builds up tension into a strong and compelling conclusion.

[Tiffany Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woeful wokefulness I think there may have been a good story in there but the woke leftist oppressor/victim theme made me gag at times.
Let’s move on together. There’s no need for me to apologise for what I have not done nor for those to have done things to not be held responsible.

Beware the lengthy authors note. Epitomises the woke necessity to reinforce the wokefullness

Sad. Because I think there’s a great author in there trying to find a voice but just coasting on coattails