Matryoshka

by Katherine Johnson

The award-winning author of The Better Son is back with Matryoshka – a beautifully written and haunting tale of family, secrets, violence, and refuge, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Tasmania.

When Sara Rose returns to live in her recently deceased grandmother’s Tasmanian cottage, her past and that of her mother and grandmother are ever-present. Sara’s grandmother, Nina Barsova, a Russian post-war immigrant, lovingly raised Sara in the cottage at the foot of Mt Wellington but without ever explaining why Sara’s own mother, Helena, abandoned her as a baby.

Sara, a geneticist, also longs to know the identity of her father, and Helena won’t tell her. Now, estranged not only from her mother but also from her husband, Sara raises her daughter, Ellie, with a central wish to spare her the same feeling of abandonment that she experienced as a child.

When Sara meets an Afghani refugee separated from his beloved wife and family, she decides to try to repair relations with Helena – but when a lie told by her grandmother years before begins to unravel, a darker truth than she could ever imagine is revealed.

Matryoshka is a haunting and beautifully written story about the power of maternal love, and the danger of secrets passed down through generations.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary

326 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Tasmanian writer Katherine Johnson is the author of four novels: Pescador's Wake (Fourth Estate 2009), The Better Son (Ventura Press 2016), Matryoshka (Ventura Press 2018) and Paris Savages (Ventura Press 2019, Allison and Busby UK 2020, Jimenez Edizioni Italy 2021 - published under the title Selvaggi).

Paris Savages, is based on the true story of three Aboriginal (Badtjala) people from Fraser Island, Queensland, who were transported to Europe in 1882 as ethnographic curiosities. It was shortlisted in the ABIA Awards 2020 and was The Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month (July 2020).

The Better Son tells the story of a family yearning for love but layered with secrets, and the price of a lie. Set in northern Tasmania’s cave country, The Better Son won the University of Tasmania Prize in 2013 (Tasmanian Literary Awards), the People's Choice Award (Tasmanian Literary Awards 2013), as well as a HarperCollins Varuna Award for Manuscript Development in 2013. The Better Son was Longlisted for the Australian Indie Book Awards and The Tasmania Book Prize (Premier’s Literary Awards).

Matryoshka is set against the beautiful backdrop of Tasmania and tells the story of secrets, refuge, and loves lost and found.

Pescador's Wake, set on the Southern Ocean and in Tasmania and Uruguay, won a HarperCollins Varuna Award for Manuscript Development in 2007.

Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Katherine Johnson now lives in Tasmania where she also works as a science journalist. Her non-fiction articles have been published in Good Weekend (Sydney Morning Herald), Ecos, The Conversation, Australasian Science, Island and Forty South.

Katherine Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism), an honours degree in marine science and a PhD in creative writing. She is an Adjunct Researcher at the University of Tasmania, where she has taught creative writing.

Reviews

[Kylie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thought-provoking novel that sees Sara, a geneticist, separate from her husband in Brisbane and move back to her childhood home in Hobart with her young daughter. Her grandmother, a Russian immigrant, has recently died and left her little cottage to her. Sara is estranged from her mother, a doctor in Sydney, and she doesn't even know who her father is. As Sara and young Ellie settle back into Tasmania Sara soon befriends a young Afghani refugee, Abdhul, who has arrived in Australia by boat, but has left his wife and children behind in Pakistan. There are two distinct story lines here, the plight of the refugees in this country and the story of Sara herself, her family and their secrets.

I'm really not sure what to make of this book. It definitely raises some important issues, the wait time for visas for refugees and the public perceptions of them. Katherine Johnson has some salient points to make and some of the characters are well drawn, the friendship between Sara and Abdhul is particularly sympathetic. However other characters seemed stereotypical and the love interest was like a cardboard cut-out. I did start out invested in this story, but found my interest waning the further into it I got. It's not a bad book by any means, it just didn't hit the mark for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew from reading the blurb this would be a book for me and I’m happy to say it delivered and I got more from this book than I expected. I felt a particular connection. The main reason Tasmania being the central setting. Having visiting the Apple Isle back in 2016 I fell in love and developed a deep connection to the area. For this reason I felt at home and immediately felt a fondness for this book. The layers of our past, the known and unknown parts that shape who we are.

The writing is tender with a soft tone. It goes to show that keeping secrets can cause long lasting ripple effects. The book also delves into the plight of refugees, those asylum seekers who become embittered with the process and which brings a whole new set of problems to society that also have long ripple effects. The book tries to show another side, a human side to an issue we are only too aware of but haven’t necessarily been personally affected by, it opened my eyes in a whole new light which is something I really appreciated with this book. Although I did notice feeling that the author was holding back, a sense of reservation that she was treading carefully around this politically charged hotbed of a topic giving the reader a chance to weigh up both sides of the equation, it’s clear her personal opinions show through her writing and I’m ok with that as I agree with the moral and the heart of the story wholeheartedly. I didn’t feel it was preachy but eye opening and delivered gently within this lovely story of family and friendship. The need for understanding, inclusion and acceptance is a better way forward than the cruel alternative.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for my early review copy. Pub date 01 Oct 2018.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘There’s a Russian proverb that says The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living. So, whisper to me, Nina, now that you are gone. Whisper to me. I need your guidance. Tell me a story that makes sense of it all so that I can put all the pieces of the nesting doll that you gave me back together and, one day, tell this story to Ellie, my daughter, your great-granddaughter. For isn’t that what we do in life? Tell ourselves stories? Then retell them at day’s end to our children and grandchildren, so that they will learn and pass down the version we want remembered? One day I will give Ellie the matryoshka, but not yet.’

I seem to be on a streak of reading beautifully touching novels. Matryoshka is a novel that really took me by surprise. It’s written in a way that I like to term ‘quiet’: quietly beautiful, quietly atmospheric, quietly powerful, and quietly unforgettable. This novel made me ache, so many times, for the loss and the love, the inter-generational connections, and the truth of human frailty.

‘I can feel the hand-spun shawl of my grandmother’s love around my shoulders. I want Ellie to feel that love wrapped around her like the layers of the matryoshka Nina gave to me. I want her to experience the same magical childhood that I enjoyed, bejewelled in natural treasures and spectacle.’

Tasmania provides a sublime backdrop for this story. Katherine Johnson has infused the natural world into her narrative with such elegance, wrapping every scene up in a veneer of atmosphere that is entirely unique to Tasmania. It’s clear that Katherine is not only familiar with the landscape of this area, but that she holds it dear and has the skill to convey this.

‘I picture the view from the summit when the mist clears: all the way to the wild southwest, still mysterious and, in parts, unchanged since the first white men – also immigrants of a kind – set their heavy feet here two centuries ago. There, if you walk off the track, you might be the first person of any origin to put your foot upon that exact square metre of earth, so wild and inaccessible are parts of this island.’

Sara is at a crossroads within her life. Beginning again on account of her husband leaving her, she’s also coming to terms with the loss of her beloved grandmother, the woman who raised her. She’s questioning things about herself, particularly with regard to her failed marriage. She wants to give her daughter a childhood similar to the one she had, but free of the notions of abandonment that Sara herself has carted around with her for her entire life. A chance discovery raises questions about her family history and the subsequent unveiling of the past has a dramatic effect on Sara’s life.

‘How many of Nina’s sayings do I have in my head, each of them just waiting to re-emerge when the time is right, so I don’t forget how to live?’

Sitting along side Sara’s personal story is another thread where parallels are drawn between refugees coming to our shores today and those that came here post WWII. Sara’s grandmother came to Australia from Russia, and her experiences closely align in some ways to the refugees Sara meets in her neighbourhood, but in other ways, there is a vast variance. I appreciated the gentle debate that unfolds throughout this story, intelligently informing, highlighting the complications and the compassions.

‘But, I realise, he is not calm. He is simply losing hope, losing his will, little by little being ground down by the process. This is the process, the deterrent to stop others from coming by boat. Stop the boats. Break those who are here. Have them tell their friends at home that they should not leave.’

Everyone has an opinion, and everyone believes in the validity of their views. I felt that Katherine Johnson conveyed so much with a distinct absence of hysteria, reinforcing the power of her presentation. Sara’s involvement with her new refugee friends leads her to a renewed focus on her research as a geneticist, particularly within the area of inherited trauma, a notion that is very personal to her given her family history.

‘The implications are profound. Not only do we inherit genetic changes that predispose us to certain diseases and characteristics, we also inherit our parents’ histories.’

Matryoshka ebbs and flows with pain and hope. As Sara builds her new life and carves out the foundations of a future for her child, some ghosts are laid to rest, some grievances are forgiven, and some mysteries are solved. Forgiveness and love underpin this story, flowing outwards from a beautifully intelligent narrative that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Highly recommended.

‘Think about it. You actually owe it to your grandparents to enjoy your life. It was their gift to you.’


Thanks is extended to Ventura Press via Simon and Schuster Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Matryoshka for review.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘My grandmother’s life story comes to me in staccato flashes, for she refused to tell me many of the details, perhaps even the most important ones.’

Sara Rose has recently separated from her husband in Brisbane. Sarah’s grandmother, Nina Barsova, has recently died and left her cottage to Sarah. Sarah decides to return to Hobart with her daughter Ellie. She needs space in which to think about the future, and where better than the cottage in which she was raised by her grandmother at the foot of Mount Wellington. But returning to Hobart raises other issues for Sara. She is estranged from her mother, who has refused to tell her who her father was. And while Nina raised Sara lovingly, she has never known why Helena abandoned her. Sara is a geneticist: these gaps in her self-knowledge matter, and she would like some answers. This is even more important now: she may be separated from her husband, but she wants her daughter to know him.

As Sara settles into life in Hobart, she meets a number of men who have travelled to Australia by boat seeking refuge and who are waiting to have their status as refugees determined. One of those men, Abdhul, is an Afghani whose wife and children are in Pakistan. Sara befriends Abdhul and tries to help him. Sara’s friendship with Abdhul leads her to take tentative steps towards establishing a relationship with her mother. But there are family secrets to be uncovered as well.

For me, the major themes of this novel are identity, belonging and the impact of family secrets. Sara wants to find out who her father is and why her mother abandoned her. Abdhul wants a place of safety, and to be reunited with his family. Sara’s past contains secrets, some of which will be painful. And what can I say about the plight of those, such as Abdhul, who seek refuge in this country? I enjoyed this novel because of the setting, and because Ms Johnson raises some important albeit uncomfortable issues. Those issues for me include: just how important is the past in shaping the future? How do our perceptions of those around us guide our responses to their needs? How easy is it to erect the ‘us’ and ‘them’ barriers?

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Claire Louisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was nothing like I expected, I have been putting off reading it for a while, god knows why, but I'm very glad I have finally gotten round to reading it. It was much more than I expected and covered many important issues. We have the story of her grandmother Nina and her move to Australia many years ago to escape persecution in Russia, we learn how hard it was for her to fit into the community, how racist and afraid people were, but at the same time, how racist and afraid she was in her own behaviour towards others. We compare that to the refugees who are now coming to Australia to escape persecution and unfortunately nothing has changed, people are still racist and afraid and unwilling to get to know the person behind the differences and see the similarities.I thought Sara's friendship with refugee Abdhul was lovely and I liked the way Sara questioned things and stood up for her new friend and was willing to learn about these displaced people. We read about the trauma passed down to generations that is affecting so many generations of people today. I love how Sara uses science to try and get this message out. There are many secrets that are uncovered in Sara's life after the passing of Nina and many changes that occur in Sara and her families life. It is a story that drew me in and kept me reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Victoria Baldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matryoshka by Katherine Johnson is a beautiful story.

Sara recently separated from her husband in Brisbane, inherits her grandmother’s cottage in Tasmania. So, she decides to move to Tasmania with her daughter Ellie for a fresh start.

As I and my parents are also immigrants from Russia, like Sara’s grandparent, this book really spoke to me from the beginning and I loved how there is some Russian spoken in the story, which I understood.

This book tells us that secrets kept can affect many generations afterwards as each generation is connected to the one before and the one after just like Russian nesting dolls or Martyoshka.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling · Rating 4 out of 5]

My View:
A contemporary read of exquisite design, beautifully crafted and guaranteed to connect to readers of so many levels: the settings, the dysfunctional family story(s) that is at the heart of the narrative, the contemporary issues surrounding Australia’s history of welcoming migration, albeit with the prejudices the “other” in the dominant culture experiences (perhaps many of you reading this are the 2nd or 3rd generation Australians – you will know what I mean here) juxtaposed against modern prejudices of “other” and a culture of detention and family separation that is modern day Australia.

This is a gently written, poignant, interesting read that has great content for book club discussions around the world

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel highlights how the complex layers of lying and deceit can have massively detrimental effect on people in the years that follow, in the lives that that they lead and the choices that they make. But it is also optimistic and objective as the relationship gaps that have developed over time become mended through faith and love and honesty. A beautifully written novel that interestingly follows two novels that I have recently read on similar themes. Although the theme of science is used in this story for legitimate purposes, the findings actual reveal the extremely negative impacts on people when they have experienced trauma and significant injustice. The novel is also a lot about mis-communication, misunderstanding, differences in cultural beliefs, political and international conflicts and the harsh reality of what it is to be refugee. Through perseverance, a stack of support and sheer determination it is possible that people can find hope and a home in the community that they arrive in, although the novel highlights that no one ever wants to leave their home or their family behind in the first place.

[Jenni Ogden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a complex story set in Tasmania and with a theme of migration and the often unwelcoming attitude of Australians to immigrants. The main character, recently separated Sara, granddaughter of a Russian immigrant, and her small daughter Ellie, return to Tasmania where Sara grew up. Here Sara does not feel at home but becomes friends with an Afghani boat refugee. His friends are much more welcoming to her than the locals. Sara's dysfunctional relationship with her mother is the other strand in story. Although the immigration messages were strong and welcome, overall the flow was not there and the characters were two dimensional.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting story – almost two stories that become one.

Sara is a geneticist living in Brisbane, separated from her husband with a young daughter. Sara isn’t really coping well with the separation so when the death of her grandmother results in her leaving Sara her Tasmanian cottage, Sara sees opportunity. What starts as a visit for her and her daughter Ellie ends up being a permanent move back to where she grew up. As Sara settles into her new/old community she meets new people, including an asylum seeker who invites her in for tea and shares his story. This chance meeting that develops into a friendship has a profound impact on Sara, who extends an olive branch to her own mother from whom she is mostly estranged and will finally enable her to solve the greatest mystery of her life – the identity of her own father.

The author lives in Tasmania and I read that she herself became friends with an asylum seeker the same way that Sara does, weaving this into the story as another way to get these stories out there, to humanise those who are coming here from other nations, rather than just seeing them as faceless queues on boats, as most of Canberra would have the people believe. I think before I read this, I enjoyed the inclusion of Abdhul and the community of those in Sara’s neighbourhood in limbo but I didn’t really understand why it had been included in the story. Now I do – any platform at someone’s disposal is there to be utilised and it tied with with the story of Sara’s own grandmother, a Russian immigrant who came after the war.

In some ways the treatment of Abdhul shows how little we have come as a nation since the post WWII waves of immigration. I’ve spoken at length before of my own parents-in-law, who both came here separately in the 50s and settled in a small Victorian town. There was plenty of hostility, even for those who didn’t even look ‘different’ in terms of physical features. That hostility seems to increase for those of different ethnic backgrounds. There are probably countless stories out there, just like Abdhul’s, which is based on the real person that the author knows. It’s important to hear these stories, to change the narrative, to change a public perception. I really enjoyed the way the hospitality of these people was detailed – they don’t have much but they welcome Sara far more warmly than others in the neighbourhood, inviting her to their celebrations and sharing pieces of themselves with her. They even give her an idea for a research project and are happy to participate in the hope that it might show something to improve the refugee process.

I think the move to Tasmania suits Sara for several reasons – firstly she was raised by her grandmother in that house and she and her grandmother had a hugely intense bond, for reasons that I won’t spoil here but are detailed within the story. She feels close to her grandmother in the small cottage, surrounded by her things. But for Sara it’s also a knee-jerk reaction to her separation from husband Ian and perhaps even a deliberately spiteful move, to take their daughter thousands of kilometres away. Which you know, I actually kind of appreciated. It felt realistic. It gives her a way to not have to deal with her ex on a regular basis as well, who has had no hesitation in moving on. Sara and Ian’s separation has them both doing unkind things to each other – a separation often has people not at their best and through this somewhat childish back and forth seems to be the way for them both to find a sort of harmony in the future. Which sort of mirrors Sara’s relationship with her mother too, which has always been quite fraught. Sara has a lot of opinions about things and I think she makes a lot of assumptions too. What she discovers when she moves to Tasmania means that the truth eventually comes out and Sara and her mother are able to start moving forward and developing a proper relationship.

I enjoyed all the aspects of this novel and reading the background of the story tied everything in nicely for me. I think Sara’s budding friendship with Abdhul and his fellow refugees is lovely and I also really liked her story of finding herself and happiness in all aspects of her life, not just romantically.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purposes of an honest review***

[Marija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tasmania provides a magnificent backdrop for this story. It’s clear the author is familiar with the landscape and holds it dear to her, plus has the skill to convey this.

Sitting along side the main character 's personal story is an interesting and personal thread where parallels are drawn between refugees coming to Australia today and those who came here post WW2.

Their experiences closely align in some ways but in other ways there is a vast variance.

A book worth reading, in particular if you have had parents as displaced migrants... this why the book resonates with me personally!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating novel about family secrets, estrangement, reconnection, and displacement. Johnson blends a particular family’s narrative with broader discussions of how we treat refugees and an academic #metoo story.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Katherine Johnson, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley for a copy of this title.
What a thought provoking story of refugees, immigrants and the effects it has on the following generations.
I honestly thought I would be taken back to WW2 with this book but Katherine took my thoughts and emotions much closer to home. If I knew what this book was about I probably would have skipped it, but I'm glad I didn't, I'm sure I grew a little from this book.
With emotion and science Katherine has written a perfect book for our time. Thank you Katherine.

[Jo-Ann Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing The Better Son, I was keen to read Matryoshka, but I wasn’t prepared for just how invested I would become in the main character, Sara Rose. She resonated with me so completely I found it incredibly hard at times to read her pain and frustration. Author Katherine Johnson has a great talent in peeling back the layers of a character and writing in such intricate detail so that some moments on the page become entwined with your own memories and feelings.

The conversations between Sara and her estranged partner Ian were quite triggering for me as Sara navigates the aftermath of a break-up. The phone hang-ups, rage, jealousy and feelings of inadequacy and of being utterly shattered. However, it is this heartbreak, in sync with the death of her beloved grandmother that slowly opens up a complex and shocking family drama. Enveloped around this sad and confusing time for Sara Rose is a layer of love and friendship which comes from an unexpected place.

I bolted through Matryoshka in two sittings and had I not had work the next day, I would have read deep into the night to finish it.

A moving piece of fiction, with an original storyline. Be prepared to be fully invested in this book.

One of my favourite reads this year

[Clare Rhoden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matryoshka is a complex novel with interesting and important material. I'm very glad that this book was recommended to me.
Sara is going thru a messy split and has a host of issues from her upbringing by her grandmother while her mother went on to become a successful doctor. When her grandmother dies, leaving Sara her cottage in Tassie, Sara takes her young daughter Ellie to live there. There are secrets and awkwardnesses and Sara has to adap to a new life, new status as a single mum, new job, and the strained relationship with her own mother.
Secrets are uncovered.
As if this wasn't enough to sustain a novel (which it certainly is), there is also a very engaging strand of narrative around the plight of refugees and the new scientific discoveries of intergenerational trauma.
Sara is quite a prickly character and won't be to everyone's taste, because she refutes victim status and finds it hard to accept new friends. However the rest of the cast are more engaging, and even with her tetchiness, I really wanted to find out how things turned out for Sara. There is an even bigger twist at the end and the separate strands are tied up well.

[Sue Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankyou to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster (Australia) and the author, Katherine Johnson, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Matryoshka in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I requested a review copy of this book as I was intrigued by the premise of the story it contained. I honestly can't say why I put off reading it for so long. But, I picked it up and was hooked. It is a beautifully written and thoroughly engaging story with very memorable characters.
Definitely well worth a read.

[Kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I purchased Matryoshka on a whim last year when I attended the launch of Katherine Johnson’s book Paris Savages at Books by the Sea in Hervey Bay, Qld. The blurb caught my interest, but what it didn’t do was let on just how good of a read Matryoshka is!

Matryoshka (another word for babushka dolls) is the story of single mother Sara Rose. Her husband has just left her and her grandmother has just died. Not knowing who her father is and having a very fragile relationship with her mother; Sara returns to her grandmother’s cottage in Tasmania to start again with her daughter Ellie. With so many unanswered questions about her family; Sara cannot let sleeping dogs lie. The question is though, is she ready for the answers that her immigrant grandmother would never share and how will they impact on her relationship with her neighbours, the Afghani refugees?

With themes of love, divorce, separation, family, friendship, immigration, refugees, racism, sexual assault and politics; Matryoshka takes you on an interesting journey as several storylines combine seamlessly to give a plot that will draw you in and not let you go. I appreciated Johnson’s ability to include controversial topics without being lecturous in her approach like some books I’ve read in 2020 (I’m particularly looking at you Bruny). Being able to explore these themes through the characters rather than feeling like I was being forced fed an opinion made for a much better read.

I liked that I didn’t always know exactly where the plot was going next and that despite it being contemporary fiction; there were some wicked plot twists. I also enjoyed that Johnson writes so well that I could easily picture the plot and the characters in my head as I read Matryoshka.

Speaking of characters, they are a good bunch. I liked that there wasn’t too many so that we got to know them well and that their personalities; good, bad or otherwise contributed to the plot in a meaningful way.

Even though I thought the ending wrapped up a little too quickly, almost abruptly; it was still a satisfying read, which leaves me eager to read more of Johnson’s works. A highly recommended read.

Matryoshka is my 21st read in #ktbookbingo, category ‘Cover has a flower on it.’ To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo or @kt_elder on Instagram.

[Cristina Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has sadness of a grandmother who had so much done to her in life in the war, that trusted no one and unfortunately wrecked her daughter life, and the prejudice that she had to endure when came to a new land just prove herself, this forgiveable the things she did al;so, but it is inspiring this story

To at least have a lovely relationship with her grandmother .as i did , and too actually come home to the cottage to live with her child was start of a journey to happiness and love finally with her mother and the german father she found .

The tragety of grandmothers ideas that a german is to be hated has carried on long after the war understandably

[Heather Slutzkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story set in Tasmania is a good read, examining the issue of refugees through Sara's developing friendship with an Afghani man, carried along by a story of family secrets. Sara has been raised by her grandmother, thinking that her mother rejected her. Now separated from her husband and returning to Tasmania with her young daughter she gradually uncovers just how this came to be. In doing this she finds out much about the complications of maternal love.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Johnston’s storytelling is stunning. This is a beautifully written tale about historical family secrets and the power they have, both positively and negatively, to shape future generations. With many intriguing layers to this story such as the history of migrants working on Tasmanian hydro projects to the current day refugee crisis to the impact of trauma on epigenetics, this was simply a wonderful story.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book well enough. It would be more honest to give it a 3.5 rating. It helped me through 20 hours of flying. Part of my enjoyment was the setting (Tasmania) as well as some of the ethics (Refugee Justice). I probably wouldn't go broadly recommending it, but for those to whom these topics appeal, it is a good read.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interconnected story, filled with many folds of different generations. More about a political soft spot, it left a few loose ends and hurried towards its finish. Its one of the few books I say that needed about 50 pages more depth to it be a home run.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyed read, and clever title, but a clearly intelligent woman.

[Hayley Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Better Son and was excited to start this novel. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading, but I found it a bit meh, I can't really put my finger on why. As a Hobartian I did enjoy the local references.

[Nada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt, sad, happy.. these are just some of the emotions I felt throughout reading the novel. I thoroughly recommend this not least as a reminder to be kind to one another because everyone has unspoken hurts.

[Allyt_hobart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved so many of the ideas in this novel but the writing style and how unbelievably tidily everything wrapped up we’re just too disappointing

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trite to begin, this ended up being an enjoyable read. Despite its chick lit-ish style writing, some tough Australian socio-political content gave it its fizz. A satisfying holiday read.

[Fiona Lansdown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book but found it a little too literary/worthy. Strong message about refugees which is a good message but to me distracted from the story.

[Magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kath Bookclub 2021

[Ann Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book interesting particularly as the protagonist described what it was like for afghans living in Tasmania.

[SWC · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of maternal love and the danger of secret passed down through generations.