The Minstrels

by Eva Hornung

Gem and Will grow up on a farm above the chasm and pool known as the Minstrels, a site where both are broken, each by the other. One will disappear. One will, eventually, be transformed.

Through her encounters with people and through art, land and language, Gem is remade while the world outside changes and time runs out.

This long-awaited new novel from one of our finest writers is a sweeping epic set in literal and figurative blight in a fictional Australian geography; a work of self, time and the very end of something. Wild, mythic and potent, The Minstrels is an apocalyptic redemption fable that weaves the history and probable fate of the world into the life of one woman.

‘Hornung is a beautiful writer’ Michael Robotham, ABC RN

'Utterly gripping...a compelling read.’ Conversation

‘This novel had such a tender beauty in so many moments, that even with the devastation that overshadows the story, the overriding feeling was joy.’ Readings

‘Hornung has seeded the narrative with complicated issues that bloom, in her characteristically fertile prose, into ambivalent flower.' Age

‘An epic...the beauty and playfulness of the prose dazzles, and Gem is an extraordinary creation.’ Guardian

‘Beautiful….a startlingly original portrait of familial love and grief.’ Books+Publishing

Genres: Fiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2026

About the author

aka Eva Sallis

is an Australian novelist. Eva Hornung was born 1964 in Bendigo. She has an MA in literature and a PhD in comparative literature from the University of Adelaide. Sallis lived in Yemen while undertaking research for her PhD, and now lives and works in Adelaide.

Hornung's first novel, the best-selling "Hiam", won the 1997 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award and the 1999 Nita May Dobbie Literary Award. Her second novel City of Sealions was well received, and her novel-in-stories, Mahjar won the Steele Rudd Award. Her 2005 book Fire Fire, told the story of gifted children growing up in a dysfunctional, loving family in 1970s Australia. Her 2009 novel Dog Boy won the 2010 Australian Prime Minister's Literary Award for fiction. She is a human rights activist, helping to found the organisation Australians Against Racism

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down
Told in two parts, The Minstrels, follows the long life of Gem somewhere in rural South Australia. Concentrating mainly on her childhood, and then her adult life as the world moves towards an apocalyptic state. A book club read and one I had mixed feelings about. There is some beautiful writing :

"... she liked Road and its odd denuding effect; return was so invigorating, as if her self - her whole Self - waited at the gate to the farm, holding out warm clothes and a loving embrace."

There are also a number of challenges to be faced by the reader, a number of questions which remain after the cover is closed. Having heard the author speak about the novel, and reading the note at the back, I was struck by the research and connection she had to the people, to language, to country. And yet during the book club discussion this was questioned by the revelations of a very reliable source who had a different take on the Adnyamathanha language than that of the author. A work of fiction (I remind myself) and one that will stay with me for the writing, for the questions it posed and yet was ultimately also somewhat frustrating.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new novel from award winning Australian author Eva Hornung is always an event for booklovers. A Victorian-born author who now lives in rural South Australia, Hornung is not a prolific writer, and we have to wait a while before there is something new to pique our interest.

Writing as Eva Sallis, Hornung won the Vogel for her first novel Hiam (1998), (which I read pre-blog). She won the 2004 Steele Rudd award for Mahjar (2003) while The Marsh Birds (2006) won the (now defunct) Asher Award and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Age Book of the Year Award. Writing as Eva Hornung, she won won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Dog Boy (2009, see my review), while The Last Garden (2017, see my review) was shortlisted for the 2018 Miles Franklin and Voss Literary Awards, and longlisted for the ALS Gold medal.

The Minstrels is worth the wait. Charting the course of one woman’s life from about the late 20th century into her old age in a near future becoming dystopian, the novel asserts the power and possibility of remaking identity in the face of changes which impose adaptation and acceptance.

Part I is the wholly absorbing story of Gem and Will, siblings of vastly different temperaments and abilities, growing up on a farm in a landscape drawn from the author's imagination.

The Minstrels, unlike the drought, were real: a half chasm, half gorge through which the river ran and then reissued, changed, a mile downstream.  The chasm and pool at the base of the waterfall bordered their farm and the Covernses' farm.  (p.12)

Just who owns The Minstrels isn't clear, and no effort has been made to find that out.  For generations there had been unspoken access for all, and the notion of private property rights over it would have been faintly distasteful to those old farming families. It's a place for picnics and swimming and diving.  It has a sad history of accidental deaths and suicides, and its own legends and mysteries.

Even on a breathless day, the Minstrels played a strange music of sighs, murmurs, whines, whistles and echoes.  This must have been how they were named, although no one really knew who had named them.  (p. 13)

The Minstrels are also the site for a bizarre end-of-year adolescent ritual.  Parents don't talk about their own participation in this ritual, and the young people conceal their preparations for it with care.  A subsequent harvest of newborns is not the only consequence of 'the run'...

Part II transitions into speculative fiction that traces the transformation of Gem from city aimlessness into a farmer confronted by changes that cannot be denied. 

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2026/03/02/t...

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gem ( Gemina) and Will grow up on a farm in country NSW. They are very close as brother and sister until the Harvest run - the local tradition where, to mark the Autumn harvest, kids chase each other under cover of darkness for the losing of virginity. But the event marks a catastrophe for both Gem and Will, that changes both of their lives forever.
The book then follows Gem as she leaves, goes to university and is later forced to return to run the now abandoned family farm. During this time she learns the local indigenous language and customs and finds an unconventional family, as the world slips into a Mad Max type existence and finally is reclaimed by nature.
An interesting book, beautifully written.

[Matthew Nye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Minstrels really piqued my interest and was a beautifully written, slow-paced read. The childhood and adult life of Gem were intertwined with unconventional or unlikely relationships and Eva Hornung took opportunities to weave important themes for our day into the story. This read resonated with my interests in environment, indigenous perspective, farm life and sustainability. The author wrote intriguingly about natural landscapes, helping me visualise the environments more deeply and meaningfully. There were some tense moments dotted throughout the book but the slower pace enthralled me less and was the reason for taking it from a 4-star to 3. I would still recommend the read to those interested.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book read in one go because as the cliche go's - could not in this lifetime put it down. So, not a lot of what should have been done today done. Its really hard to review books you have been mesmorised by. Why seperate our picky little minds from those books that steal us so thoroughly away - better to gather our hearts and the place where thoughts and emotions meet and go where it takes us, no backward glances as that closes the door on wherever we might have arrived. There is always something nitpicky to find but sometimes its just too small to matter. Loved this book sooo much and now hanging out to find the one with Dog in the title.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3.5

[Belinda Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this Australian based exploration of social change from 1960s to a dystopian near future.

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Minstrels

‘The long-awaited new novel from one of our finest writers.’
Australian

‘Gorgeous poetic writing and a fiercely sympathetic protagonist.’
ABC

‘Beautiful….a startlingly original portrait of familial love and grief.’
Books+Publishing

‘Important, engaging, and intimate. The writing is at times heartbreaking, at times really funny. A joy to read and re-read.’[5 stars]
Good Reading

‘This novel had such a tender beauty in so many moments, that even with the devastation that overshadows the story, the overriding feeling was joy.’
Readings

‘Asserts the power and possibility of remaking identity in the face of changes which impose adaptation and acceptance.’
ANZ Lit Lovers

‘An intriguing, powerful novel.’
Age

‘Utterly gripping...a compelling read.’
Conversation

‘Provocative and ambitious.’
Saturday Paper

‘A masterpiece.’
Guardian

‘Hornung is a beautiful writer.’
Michael Robotham, ABC RN

‘Gem’s world is rich and always surprising. Taking place over a lifetime spent, the novel is vast, proving a single setting can provide as much adventure as a person will ever need.’
InDaily