Raven Mother: War, Family and Inheritance, a memoir

by Jane Messer

In Raven Mother, Jane Messer weaves together her Jewish family’s compelling and tragic story – stretching back and forth between Berlin, Israel, Palestine, Melbourne and Sydney.

Messer retraces the steps of her Jewish grandmother Bella, as she tries to understand her life in pre-war Berlin and Mandate Palestine, to post-war Melbourne where she didn’t survive the surviving, and why her father was abandoned in England before the war. In this powerful, beautifully written and insightful book, Messer spends time in Berlin, Israel and Palestine and grapples with the effects of nationalism, both historical and contemporary. Along the way, she speaks with historians, activists, refugees and scholars, and constantly to her beloved father.

Raven Mother is a powerful work of memoir and history, essential to understanding the impacts of the Holocaust and Jewish identity in the post–World War II era. Blending the personal and the historical with lyrical precision, Messer sweeps from the grand scale of global events to the intimate struggles of family and memory.

'A plain-speaking, remarkable, deeply affecting book.' ROBERT DESSAIX

'In seeking the truth about her grandmother, Messer uncovers far more than a family history.' MAJEDA AWAWDEH

‘A beautifully etched excursion through muddied layers of history and memories of place, Raven Mother is an unexpected homage to the fault lines of family.’ ANDREA DURBACH

'A brilliant book for our times that illustrates the sorrows and resilience of life.' SUSAN JOHNSON

'Wise, poignant and beautiful. This is a book that matters.' MALCOLM KNOX

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2026

About the author

I write fiction and creative nonfiction—novels, memoir, radio plays, and short stories.

My latest book, Raven Mother: War, Family and Inheritance (NewSouth Publishing, 2026), is a memoir that traces the entanglements of history, inheritance, and family across generations.

I’m a devoted reader of Australian and international literature, especially writing in translation, alongside a long-standing love of genre—YA, speculative fiction, and fantasy.

Teaching writing has been a central part of my life. I’ve worked with writers since the early 1990s, including many years leading Creative Writing at Macquarie University. I now mentor writers one-on-one and run masterclasses.

In 2025, I founded StorySALOON—a live show and podcast bringing Australian short stories to the stage, performed by leading actors and shared with new audiences.

I hope to be writing more novels in the future: my last was Hopscotch (Picador, 2015). In recent years, alongside Raven Mother, I’ve been writing short stories— I’m sure that another novel will come knocking eventually!
I live in Sydney, on Gadigal land.
She/her

Reviews

[Sandra Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Messer goes hunting for clues about her dead grandmother to find out whether she really abandoned her son (Messer's father) because she didn't love him. She finds the answer after a long and fascinating search through history and over five countries. A moving and unputdownable story.

[Clayton HANSEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very personal journey by Messer that expertly weaves the broader context of the Jewish diaspora against the Nazi-ism of the 1930s-40s, in particular, to the ongoing Israelis/Palestinian complexity, all the way down to the intimate impacts at the refugee and family level. It draws a hard line of caution under 'what we hear' compared to 'what we irrefutably know' and the chasm that can lie between the two, on occasions.

Jane sets out to irrefutably know her Grandmother. It is a marathon of research and subtle diplomacy. It is a testament to the palpable tenacity the author has committed to the unravelling of certain family lore that allows the book to bubble along. What I think is well-learned in reading the book is that this gap between fact and the 'fuzziness' of the stories that pass down through generations, can harbour untold sadness; in what is falsely believed, the weight of what is carried, misplaced hope, regret and longing. Especially longing: that life long wish that something were other than the way it is perceived and felt, which is underlying theme here, especially where Messer's father is concerned. And it is a deeply affecting one at that.

I enjoyed the book very much. 4.5 stars!

[Nathalie Bilinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a moving read for me, I couldn't put it down. The interweaving of the writer's personal relationships with the historical and political context was so beautifully done. Colin McCann's Apeirogon is mentioned which is one of my recent favourite books - anyone writing about the politics of Palestine and Israel in a balanced way, especially someone of Jewish heritage who is able to articulate the injustices committed against the Palestinians and show empathy and compassion towards their plight, is so important right now and Messer nails it. Her love for her father shines throughout the memoir - in her efforts to unearth the truth of Bella's life and bring him peace and closure; and the closing scene in which she drives him through the backstreets of inner Sydney while they talk about these revelations and his new perspective on his mother, brought tears to my eyes. 5 stars from me.

[Helen Spiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raven Mother is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you've turned the last page. Jane Messer has created something deeply personal while also shedding light on some of history's darkest and most complex chapters

[Jane Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good. Skilful and energetic rendering of family history within its complex world history context.

[Jill Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preserved with 48% of this book. An interesting story but the writing style didn't resonate with me.