Ash

by Louise Wallace

Thea lives under a mountain – one that’s ready to blow.

A vet at a mid-sized rural practice, she has been called back during maternity leave and is coping – just – with the juggle of meetings, mealtimes, farm visits, her boss’s search for legal loopholes and the constant care of her much-loved children, Eli and Lucy.

But something is shifting in Thea – something is burning. Or is it that she is becoming aware, for the first time, of the bright, hot core at her centre?

Then comes an urgent call.

Ingeniously layered, Ash is a story about reckoning with one’s rage and finding marvels in the midst of chaos.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Dystopia, Novella, Adult

Paperback

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Louise Wallace is the author of four collections of poems, and the novel Ash. She is the founder of Starling, an online journal publishing the work of young writers from Aotearoa, and the editor of Ōrongohau | Best New Zealand Poems 2022.

Reviews

[Michael Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rising from the Ashes of the Trad Novel

Louise Wallace, an esteemed poet, delivers a groundbreaking and subversive debut novel with "Ash." This work aggressively redefines the traditional novel's structure, pushing its conventional limits.

Through a witty and profound examination of grief, "Ash" explores universal themes including motherhood, misogyny, love, and fear. It provides an unflinching, intimate look at a woman who simultaneously navigates the crushing pressures of daily existence and the systemic injustices that erode the mental health of working mothers.

Its remarkably lean and experimental structure integrates standard first-person prose with distinctive features like numbered "Figure" boxes and a narrative that develops within footnotes. This stunning non-linear strategy effectively mirrors the complexities of human understanding and allows poetry to blend in with the novel format. This fragmentation externalizes the character's internal disorder, allowing marginalized anxieties to surface in the form's margins.

This short, sharp, and satisfying novel creates a breathless, stream-of-consciousness rhythm that makes it impossible to put down. Louise Wallace has crafted an achievement that truly lives and breathes.

And, above all: this is a fun, entertaining book to read.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Ash #NetGalley

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

me the entire book: 👁️👄👁️

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several people had been suggesting this book to me before it made the NZ Ockham fiction longlist for 2025. Its a slim work, 154 pages and that includes some "poetry bits". I say "poetry bits" but they might best be described as creative spacing ? Max Porter does something similar in Lanny and I bemusedly tolerate this kind of thing. Poets ! you have to love them.
Meanwhile the more traditional side of this is rather good, small town NZ, vet struggling to balance motherhood and work, volcanic eruption ( which kind of feels like a stand in for the pandemic ? ). It might seem a slight tale but its got some heft.
I hope this one makes the shortlist.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this punchy, taut novella about the demands of working motherhood. Wallace uses all her poetic might to capture the consuming interiority of the tension of this season of life. It’s been a long time since I’ve dropped so seamlessly and deeply into a character’s psyche. At a moment when I’m struggling to find the space and headspace to be immersed in reading, I couldn’t put this down.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mountain eruption causes a continuous rain of ash, further complicating everything that a young mother is already juggling. Two small children, a job at a mid-size vet practice, the demands of those around her and of strangers who lean on her.

Sucking it up, as the stoic generations before her, has consequences, as her dreams show and the hospitalisation of her son shows.
Something is going to blow, is it the mountain, or will it be this woman?

An interesting story that depicts the overwhelm, the constant pressure, work demands, domestic drudgery and judgement at every turn. And an inclination to bake.

Much is left unsaid, unsupported. And when that changes, when an outlet is found, though justified, it seems misdirected, that notion of frustration built up in one arena and the rage it unleashes, directed at random (though deserving of that wrath) strangers in another.

Is the urgent call answered or merely released to allow a continuation of an age-old unsatisfying existence?

This novella was an interesting accompaniment, comparative read to Spinster by Kate Bolick.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful, funny and sharply observed story. I devoured this in a single sitting, added heaps of tabs for my favourite sections (hint - lots!) and am keen to re-read it in future.

’I am on maternity leave, which I seem to have taken on with the spirit of an angsty chihuahua.’

This was so well written and aptly depicts the struggles of Thea, who is navigating parenting, domestic management, marriage, farm visits as a vet in a rural clinic, climate concerns, alongside a simmering rage that continues amongst the frazzled moments.

’The human skull has twenty-two bones, and when you’re this tired you can feel every one of them.’


This is a wonderful debut novel, that was short, sharp and satisfying.

I am very keen to read more from New Zealand author Louise Wallace. She has four collections of poems that I am keen read.




4.5 stars (rounded up)

[evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ☆ Thank you to publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is Ash, a novella about the joys and madness of motherhood. The ecological crisis Thea experiences reminds me of my Covid years, where I got through each bleak day one step at a time. Thea has a lot on her mind and takes the reader along for a ride as she goes about her day, taking care of her family while trying to live her own life. Amidst all the chaos, I still felt the warmth and love she has for her family, and her family for her. A great read, I would recommend this to others looking for a short read that packs a punch! I love that the sources of the poems mentioned throughout the novella are listed at the end! My less formal review: nick’s mom is an angel and nick can kick rocks. i’m gonna go hug my mom

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s not you, it’s me. This is the phrase that sprung to mind when I was contemplating this review of Ash by Louise Wallace. I can see why many would enjoy this novella about a vet on maternity leave coping with the emotional labour and challenges of motherhood. It is a topic of interest to many and written in an interesting style where short vignettes are set in between passages of verse and xx. My “it’s not you, it’s me” reaction was in part because I generally don’t get along with works where the focus is on the writing style to the detriment of actual plot and characterisation, and where the narrative is episodic. As that’s exactly what Ash is, it’s not surprising that I was thoroughly bored by the story finding nothing to hang my interest on.

The mother and wife at the centre of the story doesn’t seem to have much characterisation beyond being overwhelmed by the pressures of motherhood, being a good vet, and coping with emotional labour. None of which her husband appears to notice. It reminded me of other recent stories, most notably Claire Kilroy’s Soldier Sailor, where the main character is a new mother struggling to be a good mother while the father continues their pre-child life. There was an attempt of a through narrative when the mother attends a call for urgent care of a stricken cow that results in a disciplinary investigation but the vignette style means that this plot point was never fully developed. Similarly, her son went to hospital and then came out but we never really learned what it was – he was sick and then not sick. All of this served of evidence of the mother’s overwhelm and chaos but we got that from the first few pages.

So yes, this book was creatively written and a topic of interest for many but ultimately was not one for me.

[Courtney Johnston]

I go paddle boarding with Tania, which might seem strange, but it's something we have talked about for ages. The sun is out without wind, and tiny pieces of cut glass reflect back at us all across the sea. I look over at Tania, her arms like blades slicing through the water. Tania is smiling and I am too. We paddle in unison, away from our lives. We paddle and paddle and paddle until our arms get sore and we can no longer see land, we can barely make out the horizon. And then I wake up and I write this in my dream diary because I want to remember how this one feels.

Ash is everything the NZ reviewers are telling you it is — tight, concise, experimental without losing the narrative pace, filled with a mother and working woman’s frustration, fear, breaking points but also appreciation of the moments of love and loyalty around her.

I’m such a sucker for a farming setting and Wallace’s decision to make her narrator a large animal vet in a rural practice opens up scope for details that are surprising and also grounding, from workplace politics to the palpitation of rams’ testicles.

[Amy Highton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tiniest but mightiest book, and maybe the first time I have ever finished a book only to immediately start reading it again. I upgraded this from four stars on reflection and after managing to overcome my reflexive hatred of "creative typesetting" in a novel - it helped to discover that Wallace is in fact a poet, and it helped even more to read the notes at the end on what influenced the poetic asides, which I would typically find unbearably pretentious but in this case genuinely serve to enrich the interior world of the main character. Anyway, this is such a beautiful book, seething with rage in the best way but also so much more than that. I already want to read it a third time

[Francis Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'What's it like, being a mum?' a younger woman once asked me.

It's like shattering your body into pieces, gluing them back together so the light shines through the seams, then flooding it with greenery, your whole insides a garden fit to burst."

masterpiece. you (yes, you) should read it right now.

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in one sitting, which I would highly recommend. Feminist rage erupts from the page and the author's use of poetic typography was very effective: like an intriguing puzzle alongside the main narrative. This is the sort of text that should be studied in literature classes and read widely.

[Lukes · Rating 4 out of 5]

we love a woman on the edge

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short read with lots to say - loved it.

[matthew w · Rating 5 out of 5]

came home from a talk with the author about this and, to my absolute devastation, gobbled it up in one sitting. an amazing novel for which all praise is due. genuinely astounded by how much is packed into this thing, how it manages to spin seemingly ordinary life into one of the most propulsive and heart rending reading experiences i've had this year. so much to say about care, community, work, womanhood and motherhood, and how we relate not just with other humans but with non-humans (animals, landscape) too. not to mention the lovely formal play here with verse interruptions and surreal dream sequences, the deft touch of humour that lightens but also enriches the commentary on misogyny, i mean come on.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So stunning, so well structured perfect bite of bittersweet bliss

[nina.reads.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thea is a vet that has been called back from maternity leave to help out at work. She is juggling juggling juggling all the things. Work, husband, two kids. Thea's anger and frustration is building to a rage. And then there the world goes pear shaped and there is an urgent call to pick up her child. I don't want to say too much more.

Well this was a little bite of snappy smart fiction. Ash by Louise Wallace is a short book you can gobble up in one sitting. It was the author's debut novel after several poetry collections which explains the interweaving of verse throughout the novel. There were some structural elements on the page which I usually really love but this didn't land all of the time in Ash.

Ash felt like an unknown setting but I imagined it to be in Australia so when I finished and realised the author was from NZ I was intrigued by her ability to form her place in the story without naming it.

It was a tale of ragey motherhood, oppressive patriarchy and vaguely climate fiction. The titular Ash is a catastrophe which isn't initially expressly defined but gave pandemic vibes despite the clear environmental basis. Confusing? Yes! But also powerful.

I enjoyed my time with Ash. The angry mother story might be a little overdone but here there was definitely a different take. It's easily read in a single sitting and was satisfying. If you enjoy short, sharp, structurally interesting books with poetry woven through then you might like Ah by Louise Wallace.

Thanks to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy.

[mya ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holyyyyy. Gulped this down; scratched an itch that i didn't know was there. I loved the layers and poetry throughout, which enhanced the writing in a way that may other authors struggle to do effectively.

[Rachel Buteaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A startling, fierce and accurate depiction of life with small children and the secret rage that builds from constant demands while only just managing to get just enough done in a day/week/year/forever. The poetry “Figures” powerfully conveyed the avalanche of minutiae that continually pile on top of mothers, just as the ash consumes the landscape.
A small but searing book with much to reflect on. The best thing I’ve read this year.

[Ayesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Loved the poetry. Or rather: loved that I hated the poetry knowing I was supposed to hate it. Loved the familiarity. Loved the horrifying tension, the looming threat, the claustrophobic smothering toxic ash as a character. Loved the living mountain.

[Aisling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately taken with this, as someone else perfectly described it, "dazzlingly original" book. It has also been described as about motherhood but it is more universally feminist than that. There is a very unusual rhythm and cadence to this book (because of small snippets of poetry, stream of consciousness, changes in pacing,etc) that really makes it impossible to put down.
I will be eagerly waiting for the next publication by this author.

[Ashley Lamont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, moving - another book to put down mid paragraph and think on what you have just read (done on repeat)

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ash is a novella about Thea, a rural vet in small town New Zealand. A mother of two small children she juggles the overwhelming needs of breastfeeding, never ending laundry and child care with a demanding job in male dominated field, and a husband that barely seems present. Even getting the kids into the car seems like a monumental effort. Despite being on maternity leave Thea is called in to cover for a younger, unattached male colleague who unironically thanks her later in the book for making things better for young vets. Thea is young herself, but feels the weight of her responsibilities weighing her down, she is exhausted (show me a mother who isn't), her husband is no help, her kids need her, her work pressure is building.

The first half of Ash feels a lot like Prophet Song and Soldier Sailor, both powerful books of one woman's struggle. But then a volcano erupts and Thea's life is irrevocably shattered as her community is smothered in ash, forcing businesses to shut and work to go online while the townspeople struggle for supplies and to keep their children healthy. Thea feels like I felt at the beginning of the first Covid lockdown, that the people who will feel this the most are the mothers. There's no escape into work for us now.

Ash is an amazing work, combining poetry, parenting, misogyny, small town New Zealand and a climate disaster into a mighty punch. I felt it so deep in my soul.

Wallace's unique style combines verse and prose, delivering the narrative in subtle and clever ways. Ash is a book I need to own and to revisit often.

[thebookybird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want more

[Kas Marek]

Thank you to Harper Audio, Mariner Books and NetGalley for the ALC and ARC

OK - I read this twice in two days. I listened first and really enjoyed the narrator, but something about the audio made it hard for me to fully understand the different narrators in the story. I rated it 4.5 stars but immediately wanted to try eye reading to see if I had a different experience.

HOLY FUCK.. WHAT?! This is easily my top book of the year and I know nothing is going to beat it. 1,000 stars. I was so emotional at the end. Louis Wallace took a very authentic/accurate depiction of motherhood and made it one of the best literary horrors I've ever read.

Ok imagine: global pandemic/catastrophe (we've been there), the men at your work don't have the same challenges as you because they're men and aren't mothers. You have pressure and sexism at work, the world seems to be falling apart around you, and then one of your kids gets sick and ends up with a short hospital stay that is scary. All the while, your husband is busy with work but no one is asking him to juggle it all. I feel like this is something that easily happens to so many of us through motherhood. And we're told, "it's a bad season", "this too shall pass", "you're really going through it". But Louise Wallace captured it as the horror that it is and I've never felt more seen or understood as a working mother.

Holy shit. Go read this. The prose. The writing. The manic-ness of it all. UTTERLY BRILLIANT AND I'M NEVER GOING TO SHUT UP ABOUT THIS!!!!!

Not kidding - I may read this for a third time this week.

[Barnaby Haszard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A punch to the face with all the rage and tenderness of motherhood; the imperfection, the repetition. I was going to say 'parenthood', because I related to much of what flows out of our nameless narrator's head in meticulously formed prose and poetry, but no man ever talked to me the way these men do to her. (I should acknowledge that on the back cover, the narrator is named as Thea, but I don't recall seeing that name anywhere in the text; she is mama, or babe, or bitch. But my memory isn't perfect.) She doesn't pour out her shortcomings in guilty spasms, she directs her ire outwards -- but the grief of not having it all together is there in the reported sound of the mother in law calmly baking and cooking and doing dishes, then in the gentle way the mother in law takes the crying infant and soothes both mother and child to sleep. The stakes rise significantly in the second half, and as callous as it may sound, I feel like I'll forget exactly what happens to who, but I'll remember our narrator's readiness to explode at all times i.e. before and after and later. Actually. I won't forget the heifer. Faaaaark. Or the 'trainsong', which, I wonder, may be the same 'trainsong' my own kids demanded on repeat night after night when they were 2.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A quite solid little novella set in a small New Zealand town facing a natural disaster, Ash asks a lot of questions this reader has had in the aftermath of COVID-19, with an erupting volcano standing in for the pandemic. Did COVID change how our brains work? (I vote yes. It was a trauma we still haven’t dealt with, and here we are now.) This little story is from the perspective of a struggling working mother, dealing with a stressful work environment and a disappointing husband and the fears of ecological disaster. I didn’t quite get on with the writing style—this author is a poet, and the poetry bits didn’t add much to the narrative IMO, seeming more like unneeded garnishing than anything else—but the whole thing is breezy enough one shouldn’t be too fussed about it. 3 stars!

[callistoscalling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy; all thoughts are my own.

📖 Book Review 📖 This short little book packs a serious emotional punch in the most beautiful way. Louise Wallace writes a beautiful novel, almost told in lyrical poetry, sharing a journey of a woman’s connection to the world through human, animals, and natural forces that bring it all to near destruction. In this busy, fast-paced world where we all tend to move in our own lanes, Ash is a poignant reminder of the remarkably amazing symbiotic nature of this thing called life. It’s a delicate balance and when one thing falls apart, it feels like the world is collapsing but Louise Wallace brings a tale of hope and resilience buried in the ash.

[Jessica (bibliobliss.au) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true one-sitting read! I flew through this snappy story that blended narrative with poetry and interesting formatting elements.

ASH is a slim read that builds urgency on every page. The blending of a mother’s rage with a climate emergency unfolding amongst the mother’s return from maternity leave work demands and family life made for an intense and suspenseful read. Bubbles of rage brewing just below the surface threaten throughout the story, but is it the eruption from the mother or the mountain that will be the most damaging?

A short read that had a lot to say, though I do wish our conversation wasn’t quite so brief.

I received a gifted copy of this book from the publisher.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The clever storytelling and writing style of this book was amazing. It has such a relatable theme of motherhood while working, navigating a career, a crisis, and marriage. Thea is a very relatable character and the ash crisis reminds me of our own pandemic so I truly related to and enjoyed everything about this book. Somehow despite all of the chaos going on, this book has a calming effect as I read. Absolutely will read this again and again. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.