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Garnet
★★★★★ “Beautifully observed... A world of emotions inside a small town.” Gretchen Shirm, author of The Crying Room
In the rural village of Garnet, Ramesh is the proprietor of a rundown petrol station and diner. He’s working twelve-hour days, seven days a week, to pay the mortgage, and battling the fuel supply company on a daily basis, all while dodging his mother’s matchmaking efforts.
In the way of small towns, Ramesh’s diner is the hub around which Garnet’s residents spin out their own dramas: Olivia, haunted by a family tragedy; motor-wrecker Wayne watching his beloved wife fade away; Hetty’s desire to make amends with her estranged grandson; lawyer Claire, trapped in a loveless marriage. And more.
Garnet is a droll, insightful, and often tender novel of rural life in Australia in the late 1990s. Told in eight threaded narratives, it weaves a lush tapestry of a village's foibles, loves, tragedies – and comedies.
Garnet. Even the most close-knit communities have a few dropped stitches.
In the rural village of Garnet, Ramesh is the proprietor of a rundown petrol station and diner. He’s working twelve-hour days, seven days a week, to pay the mortgage, and battling the fuel supply company on a daily basis, all while dodging his mother’s matchmaking efforts.
In the way of small towns, Ramesh’s diner is the hub around which Garnet’s residents spin out their own dramas: Olivia, haunted by a family tragedy; motor-wrecker Wayne watching his beloved wife fade away; Hetty’s desire to make amends with her estranged grandson; lawyer Claire, trapped in a loveless marriage. And more.
Garnet is a droll, insightful, and often tender novel of rural life in Australia in the late 1990s. Told in eight threaded narratives, it weaves a lush tapestry of a village's foibles, loves, tragedies – and comedies.
Garnet. Even the most close-knit communities have a few dropped stitches.
268 pages, Paperback
Published February 10, 2026
6 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Severn
2 books9 followersJennifer Severn’s manuscript Long Road to Dry River was shortlisted for the Finch Prize for Memoir in 2018. Her novella manuscript Garnet was short-listed for the Viva la Novella prize in 2022. Now novel-length, Garnet was released in February 2026 by Vine Leaves Press.
Her story ‘Nobody Owns a Fire’, one of eight linked stories that comprise Garnet, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2024.
She has contributed to Wordgathering, a digital anthology published by Syracuse University, New York State, US, and fourW, an annual anthology of prose and poetry published by the Booranga Centre at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia.
Her work has also featured on the ABC Radio 'Country Hour' program and Edge FM.
Jennifer lives in Quaama, a village on the banks of Dry River in the far south coast hinterland of NSW, with her husband and their terrier-cross. She acknowledges the Yuin peoples, upon whose picturesque, gentle, unceded lands she lives and works.
Her story ‘Nobody Owns a Fire’, one of eight linked stories that comprise Garnet, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2024.
She has contributed to Wordgathering, a digital anthology published by Syracuse University, New York State, US, and fourW, an annual anthology of prose and poetry published by the Booranga Centre at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia.
Her work has also featured on the ABC Radio 'Country Hour' program and Edge FM.
Jennifer lives in Quaama, a village on the banks of Dry River in the far south coast hinterland of NSW, with her husband and their terrier-cross. She acknowledges the Yuin peoples, upon whose picturesque, gentle, unceded lands she lives and works.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 20, 2026
An absolutely delightful cozy fiction tale about a small town in rural Australia and its residents. The story starts off with a disparate cast of characters that seem to all be in their own worlds. But as the story progresses, they really start to come together and become a community that really counts on each other. Warm hearted and sweet!
December 13, 2025
3.7/5
I received an advance review copy at no cost, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’m not sure if this book is my cup of tea. Overall, it didn’t do anything for me; it was not worth the attention grab. It was simply a telltale narrative, with little worth reveling over after reading. Maybe I'm the problem, or it’s too niche, but that’s just it.
I feel like if you read the description and story summary and think it will be a great read for you, it probably will. That’s it for me. It might work for other people, but it didn’t work for me, aside from the language.
I received an advance review copy at no cost, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’m not sure if this book is my cup of tea. Overall, it didn’t do anything for me; it was not worth the attention grab. It was simply a telltale narrative, with little worth reveling over after reading. Maybe I'm the problem, or it’s too niche, but that’s just it.
I feel like if you read the description and story summary and think it will be a great read for you, it probably will. That’s it for me. It might work for other people, but it didn’t work for me, aside from the language.
February 25, 2026
I laughed, I cried - I could not put the book down. I wanted to taste the dishes, read the books and dance to the albums mentioned. I simply did not want to leave Garnet.
So beautifully written, every word choosen with care.
The author rites from real life experiences, from her time in India and living in a small town herself.
This book is an absolute gem!
So beautifully written, every word choosen with care.
The author rites from real life experiences, from her time in India and living in a small town herself.
This book is an absolute gem!
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January 9, 2026Really nice read about life in a small town. Garnet is not a tourist destination, but a place to fill up gas (petrol) and grab a bite to eat on the way to one's intended destination.
What I liked is how the reader gets to know so many residents of this small town (feels more like a hamlet) and the way they support each other. They are incredibly welcoming of Ramesh and Bindi who are both of Indian decent. Lots of books address the difficulties an outsider experiences when moving to a small, remote place similar to Garnet, but these characters embrace them. I was actually shocked that not a single character expressed prejudices towards them.
Then we have the secrets that people keep and how they have to operate clandestinely to keep them. We have estranged relationships, difficult marriages, and more family secrets.
I think most readers would not envision Garnet to be an idyllic place to live, but our characters are relatively happy with their way of life and the slower pace of working on a farm or a wrecking yard. Eking out a living doing manual labor and then standing around a fire at night with some neighbors, drinking some beer (stubbies).
I couldn't figure out if there was a formatting issue or maybe a writing preference, but there were many times when I thought a colon would be the proper grammatical insert and instead there were two spaces between words.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What I liked is how the reader gets to know so many residents of this small town (feels more like a hamlet) and the way they support each other. They are incredibly welcoming of Ramesh and Bindi who are both of Indian decent. Lots of books address the difficulties an outsider experiences when moving to a small, remote place similar to Garnet, but these characters embrace them. I was actually shocked that not a single character expressed prejudices towards them.
Then we have the secrets that people keep and how they have to operate clandestinely to keep them. We have estranged relationships, difficult marriages, and more family secrets.
I think most readers would not envision Garnet to be an idyllic place to live, but our characters are relatively happy with their way of life and the slower pace of working on a farm or a wrecking yard. Eking out a living doing manual labor and then standing around a fire at night with some neighbors, drinking some beer (stubbies).
I couldn't figure out if there was a formatting issue or maybe a writing preference, but there were many times when I thought a colon would be the proper grammatical insert and instead there were two spaces between words.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
From the opening page, I knew I was in good hands.
Set in the small Australian country town of Garnet in 1998, we first meet Ramesh, owner of the town’s only service station and diner – the place where locals cross paths, swap gossip, and quietly look out for one another. When Ramesh’s mother insists on taking him to India to meet prospective brides arranged by a matchmaker, he reluctantly agrees.
As the story unfolds, we meet the other residents of Garnet, each one meticulously drawn and utterly believable. The novel has the feel of interlocking stories, with each chapter shifting focus to a different character or family, gradually revealing their histories and secrets, and how they fit together in this tight-knit community.
For me, the thrill of this book is Severn’s command of detail. Whether describing the workings of a scrapyard, the rhythm of a milking machine, or the careful feeding of a poddy calf, you are completely grounded in the physical world of the town. Small moments –shattering glass, a languid cricket match, the flicker of a fluorescent light – become vivid and memorable.
I’d recommend this to anyone who loves character-driven fiction and wants to be immersed in the texture of life in a rural Australian town.
I received an advance copy from BookSirens for the review of this book
Set in the small Australian country town of Garnet in 1998, we first meet Ramesh, owner of the town’s only service station and diner – the place where locals cross paths, swap gossip, and quietly look out for one another. When Ramesh’s mother insists on taking him to India to meet prospective brides arranged by a matchmaker, he reluctantly agrees.
As the story unfolds, we meet the other residents of Garnet, each one meticulously drawn and utterly believable. The novel has the feel of interlocking stories, with each chapter shifting focus to a different character or family, gradually revealing their histories and secrets, and how they fit together in this tight-knit community.
For me, the thrill of this book is Severn’s command of detail. Whether describing the workings of a scrapyard, the rhythm of a milking machine, or the careful feeding of a poddy calf, you are completely grounded in the physical world of the town. Small moments –shattering glass, a languid cricket match, the flicker of a fluorescent light – become vivid and memorable.
I’d recommend this to anyone who loves character-driven fiction and wants to be immersed in the texture of life in a rural Australian town.
I received an advance copy from BookSirens for the review of this book
February 18, 2026
Garnet is a novel almost set like interconnected short stories, about the lives and relationships and deep secrets of the characters in this small, less-than-idyllic, rural Australian town.
Jennifer Severn has meticulously constructed each of these vignettes/stories to create a lovely novel. She captures the spirit of community: from the little cafe/petrol stop diner to the car parts yard to the cattle paddocks. There are several sweet moments, touching moments, sad moments. It's not a happily-ever-after book; it's a story of real people dealing with real issues in the late 1990s in country Australia. I found it so full of heart, and I will be thinking of the characters for a long time to come.
I received an advanced review copy from Book Sirens at no cost, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jennifer Severn has meticulously constructed each of these vignettes/stories to create a lovely novel. She captures the spirit of community: from the little cafe/petrol stop diner to the car parts yard to the cattle paddocks. There are several sweet moments, touching moments, sad moments. It's not a happily-ever-after book; it's a story of real people dealing with real issues in the late 1990s in country Australia. I found it so full of heart, and I will be thinking of the characters for a long time to come.
I received an advanced review copy from Book Sirens at no cost, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A charming book that drew me into the lives of Ramesh, Bindi and all the decent residents of Garnet, a small town in rural Australia, who took an Indian couple into their midst, and helped them stand up to the shenanigans of corporate greed. An underlying tragedy threads its way through the story, showing the growth of the characters involved.
The author’s research into Indian culture gleams across the pages, making this a gem of novel not just for the story which dances along, but for the promulgation of cultural understanding and acceptance that seems to be sorely missing in many parts of the world at the moment.
A fantastic book that deserves a wide audience!
The author’s research into Indian culture gleams across the pages, making this a gem of novel not just for the story which dances along, but for the promulgation of cultural understanding and acceptance that seems to be sorely missing in many parts of the world at the moment.
A fantastic book that deserves a wide audience!
December 28, 2025
“Bindi had cringed at the romantic expression—especially coming from her mother. She was no Bollywood movie heroine, but of course she wanted a say, and she couldn’t imagine marrying without at least the prospect of love.” The novel, Garnet, by Jennifer Severn, captures the tangled lives of a small town with a keen, sympathetic eye. What begins with a curious offer rattling an old roadside business soon widens into the quiet burdens a community carries. At times, the novel moves at an unhurried, lived-in pace, and the shifting storylines can feel a bit more sprawling than expected. Even still, there’s an honesty here that outweighs the occasional detour. Severn adeptly reveals how people weather disappointment while still plodding forward, providing an observant portrait of rural life.
I received an advanced complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
I received an advanced complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews