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A Flash in the Dust
A gripping historical YA thriller, with a dash of queer romance. Think the bushranger version of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.
1899, Fremantle Asylum, Western Australia. For three years now, Gilberta Brady has kept quiet and stayed out of trouble, hoping to soon be released. But when Norah Devaney screams into the ward with revenge in her heart and a story no-one believes, Brady's carefully guarded peace is shattered.
On the run and out of options, they collide with Kedalak and Malkar, Nyungar brothers on their own journey home. They form an unlikely gang of bushrangers and embark on a dangerous mission- track down the man who killed Norah's mum.
But little do they know that the Whistling Man is hunting them too.
1899, Fremantle Asylum, Western Australia. For three years now, Gilberta Brady has kept quiet and stayed out of trouble, hoping to soon be released. But when Norah Devaney screams into the ward with revenge in her heart and a story no-one believes, Brady's carefully guarded peace is shattered.
On the run and out of options, they collide with Kedalak and Malkar, Nyungar brothers on their own journey home. They form an unlikely gang of bushrangers and embark on a dangerous mission- track down the man who killed Norah's mum.
But little do they know that the Whistling Man is hunting them too.
- GenresYoung AdultHistorical
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2026
About the author
Meg Caddy
5 books61 followersMeg Caddy is a West Australian YA novelist with three published novels. Their first three novels, Waer, Devil's Ballast and Slipping the Noose, have been short- and longlisted for awards including the CBCA Book of the Year Award, the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the ARA Historical Novel Prize. Meg is nonbinary and asexual. They have completed an Honours degree in English/History, writing on the Golden Age of Piracy, and a PhD in Creative Writing. When they're not writing, elbows-deep in archives or chasing around their toddler, Meg plays an unhealthy amount of Dungeons & Dragons.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 16, 2026
a well written book however i just wanted a little more from it, but im not sure in what way. i suppose i am not the aimed readership for this either. i think if i was a teenager i would really enjoy this! i can see the merit to it.
July 1, 2026
I randomly picked this up at my school’s library and quite enjoyed it. There were a range of interesting storylines and settings, though I would have liked more time spent in the asylum and more of Norah’s time in the house. I enjoyed the cast of characters and thought the queer representation was well done and felt natural rather than forced. I would definitely read more historical fiction by the author.
June 18, 2026
An elegant story of loss, betrayal and connection set in a time containing little discourse on queer stories and figures in Perth, told through the eyes of teenagers Gil and Norah.
The story starts in the Fremantle Asylum, a place of isolation and manipulation, a part of the story
personally that stirred feelings of discomfort, anger. A narrative applicable to many women still to this day, a feeling of distrust for the system, a system we still have to beg to be believed.
Meg Caddy’s ability to write you INTO the story is breathtaking, the physical and temporal settings both established early and both established well. This lifted the connections formed throughout the book, namely the connections between the girls and the Indigenous boys the befriend along the way. Connections that guide the book and ultimately raise the stakes for act three.
The sapphic and queer characters see queerness put at the forefront of the story, used in a way that drives the character arcs forwards in such a historically trying time.
Apart from some instances of on-the-nose writing, I felt this story to be incredibly moving and I cannot wait to see what Caddy gives us next.
The story starts in the Fremantle Asylum, a place of isolation and manipulation, a part of the story
personally that stirred feelings of discomfort, anger. A narrative applicable to many women still to this day, a feeling of distrust for the system, a system we still have to beg to be believed.
Meg Caddy’s ability to write you INTO the story is breathtaking, the physical and temporal settings both established early and both established well. This lifted the connections formed throughout the book, namely the connections between the girls and the Indigenous boys the befriend along the way. Connections that guide the book and ultimately raise the stakes for act three.
The sapphic and queer characters see queerness put at the forefront of the story, used in a way that drives the character arcs forwards in such a historically trying time.
Apart from some instances of on-the-nose writing, I felt this story to be incredibly moving and I cannot wait to see what Caddy gives us next.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I may be biassed in favour of this book, but honestly? It's hard not to be. Perth readers are going to recognise so many locations and events in A Flash in the Dust. It gives a true sense of place and time. The brutality and struggle of our history, the beauty of the land, and the courage of every person who was truly themselves in a restrictive and censorious culture.
When I studied Australian history in high school, it was the story of white man after white man after white man. They did things, good (sometimes) or bad (often). The good was heroic, the bad was Of The Time. Everyone else had things done to them.
A Flash in the Dust is the story of the hidden people. The characters may be fictional, but their stories are based on a reality which is almost entirely overlooked in our history. Reading it was like finding water in the desert.
And my God, what a great ending.
When I studied Australian history in high school, it was the story of white man after white man after white man. They did things, good (sometimes) or bad (often). The good was heroic, the bad was Of The Time. Everyone else had things done to them.
A Flash in the Dust is the story of the hidden people. The characters may be fictional, but their stories are based on a reality which is almost entirely overlooked in our history. Reading it was like finding water in the desert.
And my God, what a great ending.
Review of advance copy received from Author
It's freaking awesome
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews