Circle of Wonders

by Kathryn Heyman

From acclaimed writer Kathryn Heyman comes a luminously beautiful and personal novel, Circle of Wonders. It is the story of two deaths, but more importantly, it is the story of the legacy of life that flows from them - an uplifting celebratory song to life, and a homage to human resilience.


Roni is running out of time. As cancer claims her body, she begins a Book of Wonders, capturing the small, luminous moments she once overlooked. It's a final gift to the people she loves, and completing it means reckoning with both the flawed life she has lived and the fractured family she's about to leave behind.

Over one charged lunar month, the women closest to her Belle, her daughter, fresh from rehab and trying to stay upright; Anna, her brilliant sister, returning from London with all her old certainties cracking; and Sylvie, her estranged mother, approaching her own death across the mountain ridge. Meanwhile, Roni's ex - the Drone, as she's dubbed him - refuses to leave the house, casting shade on the light Roni is fighting to keep burning.

Extraordinary, luminous and heart-expanding, Circle of Wonders is about facing death while rediscovering life, and about the messy grace that emerges when people who've hurt one another still choose to love.

PRAISE FOR CIRCLE OF WONDERS

'A novel that offers guidance, solace, and new models for living and dying' Guardian

'Heyman is a talented author and a brilliant observer of the world ... Despite focusing on death, this is a novel that truly celebrates life and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. It's messy, vulnerable, heavy yet light-hearted, tender and deeply human ... a truly intimate and detailed reimagination of life, death, and what awaits us beyond it. A must-read for anyone who has lost a loved one' The Australian

'A precious jewellery box of language, bravely capturing the imperfection of being human and probing the mysteries of what matters most - this courageous novel glitters with wonder itself' Suzie Miller, Prima Facie

'Wondrous. Kathryn Heyman has mined the depths of human frailty and hit a seam of gold. Beautifully written, full of life and love, acceptance and forgiveness. I couldn't put it down' Pip Williams, The Bookbinder of Jericho

'Beautiful and devastating. Luminous with death - and life. Circle of Wonders observes the complicated bonds of friendship and family among women, with a wisdom and tenderness that is deeply observed. It is a novel of wild power that reminds me of Katherine Mansfield and Claire Keegan. I gulped it in a day, then ached that it was over' Nikki Gemmell, Wing

'It is breathtaking, ruthless and healing. Beautiful and profoundly moving and riveting. I think this will be a very important book. And enormously meaningful to many people. What a gift' Jaclyn Moriarty, Gravity is the Thing

'A beautifully observed, funny and tender novel about letting love in, and letting love go' Anna Funder, Wifedom

'The most seriously human book I've read in ages, a novel of deep courage and beauty, a serious act of witness to friendship, complexity, and the everyday wonders that sustain us' Chris Cleave, Little Bee

'A bright flare. Heyman's writing makes us look up and savour life' Chloe Hooper, The Mushroom Tapes

Audible Audio

Published March 31, 2026

About the author

Kathryn Heyman is the author of six novels including the forthcoming Storm and Grace (Allen and Unwin, Feb 2017), described by British writer Jill Dawson as "Dark, sexy, haunting...timely and important.." Her earlier works are The Breaking ( Orion, London, 1997), Keep Your Hands on the Wheel (Orion, 1999), The Accomplice (Hodder, London, 2003), Captain Starlight's Apprentice (Hodder, 2006) and Floodline (Allen and Unwin, 2013). She is also a playwright for theatre and radio and director of the Australian Writers Mentoring Program. Her short stories have appeared in a number of collections and also on radio. Heyman's writing has been compared with that of Joseph Conrad, Angela Carter, Peter Carey and Kate Grenville.

Kathryn's first novel, The Breaking was shortlisted for the Stakis Award for the Scottish Writer of the Year and longlisted for the Orange Prize. Other awards include an Arts Council of England Writers Award, the Wingate and the Southern Arts Awards, and nominations for the Edinburgh Fringe Critics’ Awards, the Kibble Prize, and the West Australian Premier’s Book Awards.

Kathryn Heyman’s several plays for BBC radio include Far Country and Moonlite’s Boy , inspired by the life of bushranger Captain Moonlite. Two of her novels have been adapted for BBC radio: Keep Your Hands on the Wheel as a play and ,Captain Starlight’s Apprentice as a five part dramatic serial.

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I likes the premise of this book but found the writing little too florid. May have worked better as a short story.