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Rite of Spring
In the hope of salvaging their relationship, Miranda and Richard become caretakers of a remote island lighthouse off the coast of Tasmania. Richard wants to shake up the malaise that had him falling into an affair, Miranda wants to understand what has changed and to recover from a diving accident that almost took her life. Both are excited about the renewal and adventure that the mysterious lighthouse promises. But what begins as a reuniting, quickly turns for Miranda in to an untamed journey back to the ocean that swirls at the core of her being.
Few write so vividly about bodily intimacy and spirit as Kneen. Rite of Spring beautifully fuses place, psychological drama, the primordial nature of the ocean and the personal search for a centre. It is a mind-blowing novel about a woman on the cusp of menopause that transcends our expectations about who and what we can be.
Few write so vividly about bodily intimacy and spirit as Kneen. Rite of Spring beautifully fuses place, psychological drama, the primordial nature of the ocean and the personal search for a centre. It is a mind-blowing novel about a woman on the cusp of menopause that transcends our expectations about who and what we can be.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2026
About the author
Kris Kneen
4 books14 followersKris Kneen is the award-winning author of fiction, poetry and non-fiction, including An Uncertain Grace, which was shortlisted for the Stella Prize. They have written and directed broadcast television documentaries and were the Copyright Agency Non-fiction Fellow in 2020.
The Three Burials of Lotty Kneen is their latest book.
The Three Burials of Lotty Kneen is their latest book.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Miranda and Richard answer an advertisement in a nature magazine and agree to stay on an island off the coast of Tasmania for a period of six months. They'll be taking over from the previous caretakers but otherwise they'll be on their own in the remote wilderness the entire time. Taking all of their own supplies, the couple will be responsible for looking after the automated lighthouse and recording regular weather observations.
Miranda is recovering from a near death experience and the couple is reeling from Richard's infidelity. The environment is hostile, with winds so fierce that animals blow off the cliffs and down onto the rocks below. Yet somehow Miranda and Richard believe the seclusion, shared experience and time together will offer them the chance to heal their marriage. Yeah right! Obviously things were going to go wrong but I could never have guessed how.
Miranda is a Marine Biologist with a love of the ocean and spreadsheets.
"Keeping spreadsheets was not enough to distract her. She had revelled in the sorting and labelling of their produce, bought sticky labels for the bags, noting the date of drying, the variety of apple or pear or orange. She listed the total weight on each bag. When she had sealed one she lined it up next to all the others. The various colours and shapes were pleasing. This task appealed to something in her nature, perhaps the same thing that had drawn her to a career in marine biology." Page 21
The beginning of the book was easily my favourite part. Their arrival at the island demonstrates just how remote and cut off from the rest of the world they are, and the list of maintenance items was enormous. The weather takes a toll on every fixture and fitting and they're both energised by the physical challenges ahead. I especially enjoyed Miranda's planning for their trip.
"Her skills were easily transferrable to the planning for the island. She had measured out each meal - breakfast, lunch and snacks - planning them six months in advance, adding a few extra weeks of food in case the weather turned and stranded them on the island for longer than expected." Page 15
Getting set up and unpacking their supplies as the wind was howling outside my own bedroom window made me wish I could watch all of this unfolding on the big screen. Their optimism burst from the page and I was quick to share it. However, it soon becomes apparent Miranda is going through a lot more than first realised; she's physically recovering from a nasty accident, going through menopause and was already a person in flux.
It would be a spoiler to mention how things shift, but I can tell you there's a lot of sex in the book. If you're uncomfortable reading graphic sex scenes - and I'm not - then this is not for you. Having said that, the narrative goes further than just lots of sex and I think I'd call it dark erotica bordering on erotic horror.
There's quite a lot of poetry included in the book but much of it felt personal to the author and I had trouble connecting it to the narrative. There's also a heavy emphasis on Miranda feeling a lack of belonging her entire life and being different from everyone else that I couldn't relate to. It made me wonder if perhaps this was more of the author bleeding through into the character on the page.
And what's with the cover? I love the cover design, it's suggestive, erotic and intriguing but having read the book I can't see the relevance whatsoever. While the conditions are frigid, Miranda does take her clothes off on quite a few occasions however this isn't her body type. The reader is frequently reminded that Miranda is overweight:
"Miranda's body held its own in his company. She was corporeal. Short but fat, sturdy. She weighed more than he did, even though he was easily a head and shoulders taller than her." Page 175
After that one description - and there's plenty more - it's clear the woman on the cover is not Miranda. I also have no idea what the significance of the blackberries and blackberry juice smeared on her abdomen is all about. Perhaps it's suggestive or evocative of blood and something to do with menstruation but the torso of the woman doesn't look menopausal. It's a great cover, I just didn't understand the relevance.
The author mentioned in a recent interview that the idea for the book came after their friend sent them an ad just like this, thinking Kris might consider it a writing retreat of sorts. The position didn't appeal but they took the idea and ran with it and I hope the friend passes on more ads in the future.
I originally wondered if the title of The Rite of Spring was a reference to the piece of music by Stravinsky, but in the same interview I referenced earlier, I learned there are going to be four books with themes of queerness, gender, science, nature and the supernatural; one for each season.
The ending of the book reaches an exciting climax (pun intended) although I was left with unanswered questions in the denouement about the supernatural element. The Rite of Spring by Kris Kneen is dark erotic Australian fiction and will appeal to literary readers open to self discovery, sex and the supernatural.
* Copy courtesy of Transit Lounge *
Miranda is recovering from a near death experience and the couple is reeling from Richard's infidelity. The environment is hostile, with winds so fierce that animals blow off the cliffs and down onto the rocks below. Yet somehow Miranda and Richard believe the seclusion, shared experience and time together will offer them the chance to heal their marriage. Yeah right! Obviously things were going to go wrong but I could never have guessed how.
Miranda is a Marine Biologist with a love of the ocean and spreadsheets.
"Keeping spreadsheets was not enough to distract her. She had revelled in the sorting and labelling of their produce, bought sticky labels for the bags, noting the date of drying, the variety of apple or pear or orange. She listed the total weight on each bag. When she had sealed one she lined it up next to all the others. The various colours and shapes were pleasing. This task appealed to something in her nature, perhaps the same thing that had drawn her to a career in marine biology." Page 21
The beginning of the book was easily my favourite part. Their arrival at the island demonstrates just how remote and cut off from the rest of the world they are, and the list of maintenance items was enormous. The weather takes a toll on every fixture and fitting and they're both energised by the physical challenges ahead. I especially enjoyed Miranda's planning for their trip.
"Her skills were easily transferrable to the planning for the island. She had measured out each meal - breakfast, lunch and snacks - planning them six months in advance, adding a few extra weeks of food in case the weather turned and stranded them on the island for longer than expected." Page 15
Getting set up and unpacking their supplies as the wind was howling outside my own bedroom window made me wish I could watch all of this unfolding on the big screen. Their optimism burst from the page and I was quick to share it. However, it soon becomes apparent Miranda is going through a lot more than first realised; she's physically recovering from a nasty accident, going through menopause and was already a person in flux.
It would be a spoiler to mention how things shift, but I can tell you there's a lot of sex in the book. If you're uncomfortable reading graphic sex scenes - and I'm not - then this is not for you. Having said that, the narrative goes further than just lots of sex and I think I'd call it dark erotica bordering on erotic horror.
There's quite a lot of poetry included in the book but much of it felt personal to the author and I had trouble connecting it to the narrative. There's also a heavy emphasis on Miranda feeling a lack of belonging her entire life and being different from everyone else that I couldn't relate to. It made me wonder if perhaps this was more of the author bleeding through into the character on the page.
And what's with the cover? I love the cover design, it's suggestive, erotic and intriguing but having read the book I can't see the relevance whatsoever. While the conditions are frigid, Miranda does take her clothes off on quite a few occasions however this isn't her body type. The reader is frequently reminded that Miranda is overweight:
"Miranda's body held its own in his company. She was corporeal. Short but fat, sturdy. She weighed more than he did, even though he was easily a head and shoulders taller than her." Page 175
After that one description - and there's plenty more - it's clear the woman on the cover is not Miranda. I also have no idea what the significance of the blackberries and blackberry juice smeared on her abdomen is all about. Perhaps it's suggestive or evocative of blood and something to do with menstruation but the torso of the woman doesn't look menopausal. It's a great cover, I just didn't understand the relevance.
The author mentioned in a recent interview that the idea for the book came after their friend sent them an ad just like this, thinking Kris might consider it a writing retreat of sorts. The position didn't appeal but they took the idea and ran with it and I hope the friend passes on more ads in the future.
I originally wondered if the title of The Rite of Spring was a reference to the piece of music by Stravinsky, but in the same interview I referenced earlier, I learned there are going to be four books with themes of queerness, gender, science, nature and the supernatural; one for each season.
The ending of the book reaches an exciting climax (pun intended) although I was left with unanswered questions in the denouement about the supernatural element. The Rite of Spring by Kris Kneen is dark erotic Australian fiction and will appeal to literary readers open to self discovery, sex and the supernatural.
* Copy courtesy of Transit Lounge *
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
When author Kris Kneen releases another book into the world, you are guaranteed of evocative, atmospheric, literary writing. The variables are genre – they write in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and memoir. And if as with their latest novel, RITE OF SPRING (Transit Lounge 2026), it is book of fiction, you can never be sure if it will be realist, thrilling, meditative or mystical. Kneen can take any story and transform it into something wonderful.
It would be tempting to say RITE OF SPRING is about a couple recovering from the aftermath of a terrible accident and a cruel betrayal, or you could describe it as invoking mermaids, mermen, mercreatures and seeing them through a lens of understanding. It could be a book about two people who take on the six-month role of caretakers for an isolated lighthouse in a remote Tasmanian island, or you could describe it as people from the past whispering secrets and lessons to those who come after. RITE OF SPRING is about erotic, exotic and sensual sex; changing bodies; menopause; loyalty and betrayal; survival in harsh places; self-identity and self-discovery and self-pleasure; danger, risk, choices and vows. The novel is about all this and more, a glorious, luminous, overwhelming, tense, beguiling, bewildering, defiant triumph.
But perhaps the central theme of this novel is transformation, gender identity and the generous capacity of those in liminal spaces to recognise and welcome others, and to place no limits on the imagination regarding who and what we might witness in the world, if only we open our eyes to seeing, our ears to listening, our bodies to pleasure and our hearts to loving.
As Miranda recovers from a life-changing diving accident, and Richard earns back her trust after an affair, the couple have much in common but also, as becomes obvious on the isolated island, many differences which perhaps cannot be reconciled. Adventure, stability, capability, open-mindedness, tenderness, desire, satisfaction, ambition, discovery, bodily image and intimacy; all are traversed through this story set in and around the primordial depths of the ocean and the boundaries of the psychological self. It is very much Kneen’s message to themself: questions, explorations, answers, calls, songs, attractions and signs of belonging. Once again, Kneen offers a gift of stunning writing, an engrossing story, intriguing characters (both human and not) and the boundless enthusiasm for peeling back layers of skin to find what lies beneath and what connects us.
It would be tempting to say RITE OF SPRING is about a couple recovering from the aftermath of a terrible accident and a cruel betrayal, or you could describe it as invoking mermaids, mermen, mercreatures and seeing them through a lens of understanding. It could be a book about two people who take on the six-month role of caretakers for an isolated lighthouse in a remote Tasmanian island, or you could describe it as people from the past whispering secrets and lessons to those who come after. RITE OF SPRING is about erotic, exotic and sensual sex; changing bodies; menopause; loyalty and betrayal; survival in harsh places; self-identity and self-discovery and self-pleasure; danger, risk, choices and vows. The novel is about all this and more, a glorious, luminous, overwhelming, tense, beguiling, bewildering, defiant triumph.
But perhaps the central theme of this novel is transformation, gender identity and the generous capacity of those in liminal spaces to recognise and welcome others, and to place no limits on the imagination regarding who and what we might witness in the world, if only we open our eyes to seeing, our ears to listening, our bodies to pleasure and our hearts to loving.
As Miranda recovers from a life-changing diving accident, and Richard earns back her trust after an affair, the couple have much in common but also, as becomes obvious on the isolated island, many differences which perhaps cannot be reconciled. Adventure, stability, capability, open-mindedness, tenderness, desire, satisfaction, ambition, discovery, bodily image and intimacy; all are traversed through this story set in and around the primordial depths of the ocean and the boundaries of the psychological self. It is very much Kneen’s message to themself: questions, explorations, answers, calls, songs, attractions and signs of belonging. Once again, Kneen offers a gift of stunning writing, an engrossing story, intriguing characters (both human and not) and the boundless enthusiasm for peeling back layers of skin to find what lies beneath and what connects us.
August 20, 2026
Rite of Spring by Kris Kneen is an atmospheric and deeply intimate novel about relationships, renewal, identity, and the difficult process of reconnecting with oneself. Set against the isolated beauty of a remote lighthouse off the coast of Tasmania, the story places Miranda and Richard in an environment where there is nowhere to hide from the tensions that have developed between them.
What makes the novel particularly compelling is the way the physical landscape becomes intertwined with Miranda's emotional and psychological journey. Her recovery from a near-fatal diving accident, her changing relationship with Richard, and her renewed connection to the ocean create a powerful exploration of transformation and self-discovery. Kneen's attention to bodily experience, intimacy, and the elemental force of nature gives the novel an immersive quality.
Readers interested in literary fiction, relationship-driven narratives, Australian literature, women's fiction, psychological drama, and stories about identity and personal transformation should find Rite of Spring especially engaging. Its exploration of a woman confronting change at a pivotal stage of her life, combined with its distinctive Tasmanian setting and oceanic atmosphere, gives the novel a memorable sense of place and emotional depth.
What makes the novel particularly compelling is the way the physical landscape becomes intertwined with Miranda's emotional and psychological journey. Her recovery from a near-fatal diving accident, her changing relationship with Richard, and her renewed connection to the ocean create a powerful exploration of transformation and self-discovery. Kneen's attention to bodily experience, intimacy, and the elemental force of nature gives the novel an immersive quality.
Readers interested in literary fiction, relationship-driven narratives, Australian literature, women's fiction, psychological drama, and stories about identity and personal transformation should find Rite of Spring especially engaging. Its exploration of a woman confronting change at a pivotal stage of her life, combined with its distinctive Tasmanian setting and oceanic atmosphere, gives the novel a memorable sense of place and emotional depth.
August 13, 2026
Who needs drugs when you've got two married nymphomaniacs on an isolated windswept island?
The journals of the previous lighthouse keepers/ weather observers leave some clues for Miranda and Richard, Rite of Spring's protagonists; the place is haunted and could drive them crazy.
But this mismatched pair have committed to six months of isolation, Miranda will recover from her diving accident, Richard will address his unfaithfulness. This fresh start in Spring will bring out the ghosts of previous lovers and lighthouse residents, and the thing that lures Miranda back under the water, after her doctors have warned against it. Menopause is treated as just another seasonal change, and not a bitter winter, but an examination of our drives and desires after our hormones change on us.
Expect lots of sex, poetry, weirdness, and exploration of that other place beyond the veil of consciousness. Kris Kneen releases another banger!
The journals of the previous lighthouse keepers/ weather observers leave some clues for Miranda and Richard, Rite of Spring's protagonists; the place is haunted and could drive them crazy.
But this mismatched pair have committed to six months of isolation, Miranda will recover from her diving accident, Richard will address his unfaithfulness. This fresh start in Spring will bring out the ghosts of previous lovers and lighthouse residents, and the thing that lures Miranda back under the water, after her doctors have warned against it. Menopause is treated as just another seasonal change, and not a bitter winter, but an examination of our drives and desires after our hormones change on us.
Expect lots of sex, poetry, weirdness, and exploration of that other place beyond the veil of consciousness. Kris Kneen releases another banger!
October 1, 2026
On the surface this book is a little unhinged, bizarre, and pornographic…
But when you “dive a little deeper” there is a raw, unflinching essay on gender identity, our individual sense of self, and authenticity.
This is not a book I would’ve normally bought, but after listening to Kris speak at the Byron Writers Festival, I purchased it on impulse. What a swim it has been. Approach with an open mind and take the time to reflect upon completion.
But when you “dive a little deeper” there is a raw, unflinching essay on gender identity, our individual sense of self, and authenticity.
This is not a book I would’ve normally bought, but after listening to Kris speak at the Byron Writers Festival, I purchased it on impulse. What a swim it has been. Approach with an open mind and take the time to reflect upon completion.
August 26, 2026
Wow! Such an incredible piece! It was different than I expected and in the best way. I don't want to spoil anything so please read it for yourself. Explore your preconceived ideas and release them. Kris will make you feel seen.
August 2, 2026
Erotic. Deep and emotional (brought me to tears).
August 8, 2026
An intriguing read but I don’t think I enjoyed it particularly. It was a very philosophical take on sex and desire but the story itself won’t stay with me I think.
August 23, 2026
Loved it
August 24, 2026
So confronting, but beautiful in equal measure!
September 20, 2026
Wow - quite something. Beautifully written novel that starts out as a relationship story (he has cheated; will 6 months together at a remote lighthouse save their relationship?), builds into a gothic horror (is something out there?) and then resolves into an ethereal speculative fiction sex fantasy (yes, really). Lots of sex fantasy. Well crafted. Well developed central characters and their back stories. Just enough weirdness to be entertaining. A great read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Kris Kneen drops some stellar, deeply horny Australian Gothic weird fiction grappling with bodies in flux and the monsters that dwell within.
Could not recommend more.
Podcast here: https://youtu.be/JjePQy1Aw8I?si=ovs_K...
Interview here: https://youtu.be/eAiwKJE1SUo
Could not recommend more.
Podcast here: https://youtu.be/JjePQy1Aw8I?si=ovs_K...
Interview here: https://youtu.be/eAiwKJE1SUo
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews