Out of Time

by Steve Hawke

Joe and Anne’s relationship has finally found the sweet spot and they are looking forward to what retirement brings. But time is not on their side. Inexplicably, Joe – a gifted architect – finds himself losing things, making miscalculations, blanking parts of his day. As Joe’s condition worsens, he and Anne face the agonising question: what is the point of no return?

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Steve Hawke grew up in Melbourne, then lived in the Kimberley for many years, before settling in the Perth hills. His first adult novel, The Valley, was published in 2018. Out of Time is his second novel. He has also written the stage play Jandamarra (2008 and 2011), the libretto for the dramatic cantata Jandamarra: Sing For The Country (2014 and 2019) and the children’s novel Barefoot Kids (2007). His non-fiction writing includes Noonkanbah: Whose Land, Whose Law (1989), the biography Polly Farmer (1994) and A Town Is Born: The Fitzroy Crossing Story (2013).

Reviews

[Laurena · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with confronting themes about families and choices. I don’t think the final scenes captured the reality, however, I appreciated the ending just the same. I enjoyed the descriptions of Perth and WA.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melbourne-born but based in Western Australia since the 1970s, Steve Hawke is an Australian writer who deserves more attention than he's had so far.  He's a playwright, screenwriter and author, and has published nine books, mostly non-fiction, and some in collaboration with Indigenous communities.  But of course it's his fiction that I like because he tackles most interesting themes, and I've reviewed The Valley (2018), and The Brothers Wolfe (2023). Out of Time was published in 2019 but I didn't come across it until I spied it at Ulysses Bookshop in Hampton on Love Your Bookshop Day in 2023.

Sometimes, in fiction, a character with dementia is mentioned as part of a patchwork of human experience:  as long ago as 1948, Ruth Park did this with the characterisation of Granny Kilker in The Harp in the South , while more recently Catherine Chidgey's The Beat of the Pendulum (2017) documents her day-to-day life while revealing the encroaching tragedy of Nana's encroaching Alzheimer's.   Sometimes dementia is used as a device to interrogate the reliability of truth and memory, as in Our Shadows (2020) by Gail Jones, and in Miles Allison's In Moonland (2021) which depicts the frustrations of seeking out a father's history from dementia-addled friends.

Less common is a novel devoted to the experience of coming to terms with dementia, usually via a character who has a loved one with the condition. The award-winning Delirious (2024), by Damien Wilkins features a man haunted by memories of his dead mother who had dementia, while  The Spoon and the Sea (2025) by Rachel Caplin, shows us a character who learns from carers about ways to keep communication going for as long as possible.

Even less common are novels that depict the experience of a character who articulates encroaching dementia.  Thea Astley's Coda , (1994) is the earliest example that I know of, but there is also A Hundred Small Lessons (2017) by Ashley Hay and the more recent You Must Remember This (2025), by Sean Wilson.  It's written from the confused perspective of Grace, portraying her chaotic thoughts in a non-linear way, while readers can deduce the present from the perspective of her daughter Liz, who struggles to navigate the loss of her mother’s capacities.

I don't know of many novels that depict early-onset dementia.  There is A House Built on Sand by Tina Shaw, which alternates between Maxine’s confusion and distorted reality while at the same time showing that her daughter Rose often doesn’t understand what’s going on either.  Steve Hawke's Out of Time, however, is the first novel I know of that is written from the perspective of a man with early-onset dementia, and more significantly, it portrays the terror that people can feel about the looming diagnosis, while confronting the moral complexities of wanting to take action to forestall an intolerable future.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2026/02/13/o...

[Talicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - book was not what I expected, off reading the blurb I thought it would be about an Australian couple where the husband gets dementia and it shows his slow decline etc. The book was honestly the husband refusing to go to appointments or talk with any of the other characters. I really couldn’t get into it and did not enjoy it

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting because it was written by a male about a male with dementia. All novels about this I have read have been by women. Steve Hawke has captured the fear, the unknown and the discomfort very well. He writes with a strong Australian voice. I enjoyed his characters and their links to the Australian outback. A sensitive novel, well worth the read!

[SwagCity 2000 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, Sorry I could not bring myself to be interested in this book and it is my bad as I was expecting some heart wrenching story about a married couple dealing with the plight of illness and one losing their mind (I was trying to FEEL something) but it is just a little… grumpy

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, some good ideas but limited capacity to explore them in this kind of book, which is basically a quick read. I apprwciaged the unexpected ending.

[Lanzerac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good.

[Sheila Pritchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written story on a very hard topic. It probably deserves a four star rating but reading it with a close family member in the throes of dementia made it hard for me to read.

[Sue Knights · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book without knowing the author
Very Australian and just family life
So special

[Glenys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart wrenching and painful at times.
Powerful and insightful.