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The Newcomer
There's no such thing as a perfect victim.
In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines — or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life.
When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone.
But, above all, Paulina is her mother’s daughter. And death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina’s life.
In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines — or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life.
When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone.
But, above all, Paulina is her mother’s daughter. And death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina’s life.
368 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2021
15 people are currently reading
515 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
September 6, 2022
I just couldn’t, so this is on my DNFed list. (It hurts a lot, when I just abandon a book)
Personally I was unable to connect to the story and the characters, the start was something ok, but as the plot progressed, I just lost interest in it.
I was unable to feel the emotions of the characters, and couldn’t connect with them, so this was not a good one for me. But as far as I’ve read, there was a somewhat good mystery cooking up, but I can’t continue.
Coming to my rating : out of 5 stars
Cover : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot : ⭐️⭐️
Writing quality : ⭐️⭐️
Character development : ⭐️⭐️
Overall rating : 1.5 stars, so rounding off to 2 ⭐️⭐️
(My rating is purely based up to what I have read, I’ve not completed the story so my rating is completely on my emotions. I may read the story again to complete it, but that’s all just a maybe, let’s see what happens)
Personally I was unable to connect to the story and the characters, the start was something ok, but as the plot progressed, I just lost interest in it.
I was unable to feel the emotions of the characters, and couldn’t connect with them, so this was not a good one for me. But as far as I’ve read, there was a somewhat good mystery cooking up, but I can’t continue.
Coming to my rating : out of 5 stars
Cover : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot : ⭐️⭐️
Writing quality : ⭐️⭐️
Character development : ⭐️⭐️
Overall rating : 1.5 stars, so rounding off to 2 ⭐️⭐️
(My rating is purely based up to what I have read, I’ve not completed the story so my rating is completely on my emotions. I may read the story again to complete it, but that’s all just a maybe, let’s see what happens)
January 3, 2024
I don't know how to rate this crime novel. On one hand this is an extremely captivating book. I have started reading on Sunday and read over 200 pages almost without putting the book down. On the next day - Monday evening/night after work - I would continue and finish reading this at 2 AM. And I had to get up at 6 AM for work.
On the other hand this is a disturbing book and not a book I did enjoy. But it is in the nature of its subject-matter. From what I learnt after reading this novel and reviews on other books by this author is that Laura Elizabeth Woollett's general approach is: to choose a true story and write disturbing fiction about it.
Sometimes I did not like how Paulina was described. I sometimes felt that she was misrepresented, for instance there is one particular scene where she is shown as manipulative. We cannot judge. Paulina is in unbearable pain, despair and she never gave up until the end. She has a personality disorder. I am not sure whether all readers will appreciate how hard she has to fight to live. But maybe the writing does bring this across. I need to do some more thinking about this novel. Possibly need to reread at some point (some chapters).
Also, even though I understood that some violent, extreme scenes were clearly necessary for the story, I felt that some other scenes (violent and non-violent) were not needed to support the story. The novel is well written all the way through. But violent, disturbing and explicit.
One time it was very well described how Paulina's Mom was helping her from afar over the phone. Moments like this were rare and filled me with hope. There is another mother/daughter scene with a photo album which was sweet.
I will rate this 4 stars. The arithmetic: 5 stars for being super captivating and 3 for the characterizations/story. And 4 stars for the writing.
Be warned, spoiler will follow:
I also did not like that most men on the island were more or less the same:
"Kymba sighed.
'Look. Can I give you some advice?' She had that mum-look, which told Paulina she was getting advice, either way.
'Don't get involved with any island men. At least not until you know who everyone is. Other mainlanders, that's fine. But try not to get involved with the Islanders.'"
(They lie, they cheat on their wives and then blame it on the respective girl.)
There is only one exception whom is an "Islander" but does not cheat on his wife and does not lie. It's Ricky. Vera's husband. Laurent is from Quebec, I believe, and Jesse's Dad's parents were both Maltese and his Mom grew up on the mainland.
On the other hand this is a disturbing book and not a book I did enjoy. But it is in the nature of its subject-matter. From what I learnt after reading this novel and reviews on other books by this author is that Laura Elizabeth Woollett's general approach is: to choose a true story and write disturbing fiction about it.
Sometimes I did not like how Paulina was described. I sometimes felt that she was misrepresented, for instance there is one particular scene where she is shown as manipulative. We cannot judge. Paulina is in unbearable pain, despair and she never gave up until the end. She has a personality disorder. I am not sure whether all readers will appreciate how hard she has to fight to live. But maybe the writing does bring this across. I need to do some more thinking about this novel. Possibly need to reread at some point (some chapters).
Also, even though I understood that some violent, extreme scenes were clearly necessary for the story, I felt that some other scenes (violent and non-violent) were not needed to support the story. The novel is well written all the way through. But violent, disturbing and explicit.
One time it was very well described how Paulina's Mom was helping her from afar over the phone. Moments like this were rare and filled me with hope. There is another mother/daughter scene with a photo album which was sweet.
I will rate this 4 stars. The arithmetic: 5 stars for being super captivating and 3 for the characterizations/story. And 4 stars for the writing.
Be warned, spoiler will follow:
I also did not like that most men on the island were more or less the same:
"Kymba sighed.
'Look. Can I give you some advice?' She had that mum-look, which told Paulina she was getting advice, either way.
'Don't get involved with any island men. At least not until you know who everyone is. Other mainlanders, that's fine. But try not to get involved with the Islanders.'"
(They lie, they cheat on their wives and then blame it on the respective girl.)
There is only one exception whom is an "Islander" but does not cheat on his wife and does not lie. It's Ricky. Vera's husband. Laurent is from Quebec, I believe, and Jesse's Dad's parents were both Maltese and his Mom grew up on the mainland.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2021
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett is a well crafted crime novel that is more literary crime than thriller. This read was a page turner for me, it’s was so raw and gripping!
The book portrays a penetrating reflection of Paulina Novak, a dysfunctional, self destructive, complex, deplorable and flawed character.
At twenty-eight Paulina relocates from Sydney to a remote Island paradise named Fairfolk Island in the hope of a dream life on these paradisiac shores. Norfolk Island is known for its towering pine trees, sandy beaches and jagged cliffs
It’s Easter and Judy Novak is visiting her daughter, she’s waiting in the hotel room for Paulina to show up but she is late which is not unusual. She doesn’t turn up, only to be found dead at the bottom of a cliff.
The narrative switches from the mother, Judy Novak who is determined to find her daughter’s killer and Paulina herself before she died. Every man on the island appears to be a suspect for her murder.
The author illustrates the relationships between the Islands locals and Paulina who is know as a ‘mainie’, she continuously rubs people up the wrong way and struggles to find her place. The story also explores the relationship with her mother and the trauma and grief the mother feels afterwards.
A well written character driven mystery inspired by a real-life murder and a moving exploration of the private wounds we carry, dark and sobering in parts. I really loved the characters of the mother Judy and Jesse.
Caution - this could be a disturbing read for some as there are themes of violence, rape, self harm, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.
Publication Date 2 July 2021
Thank you so much to Scribe Publications for a copy of the book to read and review
The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett is a well crafted crime novel that is more literary crime than thriller. This read was a page turner for me, it’s was so raw and gripping!
The book portrays a penetrating reflection of Paulina Novak, a dysfunctional, self destructive, complex, deplorable and flawed character.
At twenty-eight Paulina relocates from Sydney to a remote Island paradise named Fairfolk Island in the hope of a dream life on these paradisiac shores. Norfolk Island is known for its towering pine trees, sandy beaches and jagged cliffs
It’s Easter and Judy Novak is visiting her daughter, she’s waiting in the hotel room for Paulina to show up but she is late which is not unusual. She doesn’t turn up, only to be found dead at the bottom of a cliff.
The narrative switches from the mother, Judy Novak who is determined to find her daughter’s killer and Paulina herself before she died. Every man on the island appears to be a suspect for her murder.
The author illustrates the relationships between the Islands locals and Paulina who is know as a ‘mainie’, she continuously rubs people up the wrong way and struggles to find her place. The story also explores the relationship with her mother and the trauma and grief the mother feels afterwards.
A well written character driven mystery inspired by a real-life murder and a moving exploration of the private wounds we carry, dark and sobering in parts. I really loved the characters of the mother Judy and Jesse.
Caution - this could be a disturbing read for some as there are themes of violence, rape, self harm, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.
Publication Date 2 July 2021
Thank you so much to Scribe Publications for a copy of the book to read and review
August 4, 2021
2.5/5
Okay, not all characters need to be likable but if you're going to be unlikable it has to be fun for me to read about. A spiteful, co-dependent 29 year old alcoholic that is constantly calling everyone a bitch and making bad life choices is not fun to read about! I literally could not understand why anyone would want to be friends with this person (and most characters had a hard time understanding it themselves!) and yet they would go around saying "oh we love her." This book was incredibly dialogue heavy, which I'm finding that I generally don't love, and a large portion of that dialogue was "fuck you!" and "You bitch!" I thought trying to find the murderer would be a bigger part of this story than it was, but it was a minor subplot. In fact, the book is just a conglomeration of minor subplots. If you can't tell, it was sort of exhausting to read.
Okay, not all characters need to be likable but if you're going to be unlikable it has to be fun for me to read about. A spiteful, co-dependent 29 year old alcoholic that is constantly calling everyone a bitch and making bad life choices is not fun to read about! I literally could not understand why anyone would want to be friends with this person (and most characters had a hard time understanding it themselves!) and yet they would go around saying "oh we love her." This book was incredibly dialogue heavy, which I'm finding that I generally don't love, and a large portion of that dialogue was "fuck you!" and "You bitch!" I thought trying to find the murderer would be a bigger part of this story than it was, but it was a minor subplot. In fact, the book is just a conglomeration of minor subplots. If you can't tell, it was sort of exhausting to read.
May 3, 2021
I really truly loved this. The characters are incredibly well written and larger than life (especially Paulina). The story is beautiful and heartbreaking and I couldn’t stop reading. Well done Laura!
July 21, 2021
Loosely inspired by the 2002 murder of a woman on Norfolk Island, The Newcomer is a provocative literary crime novel by Laura Elizabeth Woollett.
Paulina Novak, even at 28, is a wild child. Reckless, self absorbed and brazen, with an eating disorder and a drinking problem, she ditched her life in Sydney for a fresh start on the tiny island of Fairfolk, off the eastern coast of Australia. Fairfolk doesn’t take kindly to ‘mainie’s’, especially to someone like Paulina who is wilfully disruptive and openly contemptuous of the insular community, so when two years later, on the day before Paulina’s thirtieth birthday, her body is found under a sheet of black plastic in a field, few are surprised.
Her mother, Judy, waiting in a hotel room to share lunch with her daughter, however is heartbroken, and determined that Paulina’s killer be bought to justice. Given the size of the island community, despite the plethora of possible suspects, Judy expects that the case will be solved quickly, but she it’s two long years before she gets answers.
Moving between Paulina’s past and Judy’s present, the narrative is as much a character study as it is a novel about a crime. Woollett explores interesting questions about mental health, trauma, misogyny, belonging, and victimhood.
Woollett doesn’t present a flattering portrayal of the victim. Paulina is a character that really doesn’t invite sympathy, and I found myself in the uncomfortable position of thinking to myself that her murder seemed almost inevitable given her behaviours. I think that in large part this is the point of The Newcomer, to have the reader confront their unconscious bias with regards to victimhood, because of course it’s not Paulina’s behaviour that is responsible for her death, it is the behaviour of her killer.
Judy too is a complex character, with her own history of trauma, though she is far more sympathetic. A caring mother who has done her best to support her mercurial adult daughter, she’s devastated by Paulina’s death. Woollett portrays her grief in what I felt was a realistic, if sometimes uncomfortable, manner.
Challenging, bold, and poignant, The Newcomer is not an easy read, but it is definitely thought-provoking.
Paulina Novak, even at 28, is a wild child. Reckless, self absorbed and brazen, with an eating disorder and a drinking problem, she ditched her life in Sydney for a fresh start on the tiny island of Fairfolk, off the eastern coast of Australia. Fairfolk doesn’t take kindly to ‘mainie’s’, especially to someone like Paulina who is wilfully disruptive and openly contemptuous of the insular community, so when two years later, on the day before Paulina’s thirtieth birthday, her body is found under a sheet of black plastic in a field, few are surprised.
Her mother, Judy, waiting in a hotel room to share lunch with her daughter, however is heartbroken, and determined that Paulina’s killer be bought to justice. Given the size of the island community, despite the plethora of possible suspects, Judy expects that the case will be solved quickly, but she it’s two long years before she gets answers.
Moving between Paulina’s past and Judy’s present, the narrative is as much a character study as it is a novel about a crime. Woollett explores interesting questions about mental health, trauma, misogyny, belonging, and victimhood.
Woollett doesn’t present a flattering portrayal of the victim. Paulina is a character that really doesn’t invite sympathy, and I found myself in the uncomfortable position of thinking to myself that her murder seemed almost inevitable given her behaviours. I think that in large part this is the point of The Newcomer, to have the reader confront their unconscious bias with regards to victimhood, because of course it’s not Paulina’s behaviour that is responsible for her death, it is the behaviour of her killer.
Judy too is a complex character, with her own history of trauma, though she is far more sympathetic. A caring mother who has done her best to support her mercurial adult daughter, she’s devastated by Paulina’s death. Woollett portrays her grief in what I felt was a realistic, if sometimes uncomfortable, manner.
Challenging, bold, and poignant, The Newcomer is not an easy read, but it is definitely thought-provoking.
May 25, 2021
Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s books have always been crime adjacent but this sits much more squarely in the genre. And it’s as darkly disturbing and wonderful as I hoped it would be. Woollett conjures a cast of characters and gives us glimpses of them at their best and at their very very worst. I spent the book thinking about harm – how we harm ourselves, how we harm others, the times we are in harm’s way, the times harm finds us, the times we seek harm. It is a book about violence and pain that is impossible to look away from. And it’s a masterclass at how to use setting to evoke mood.
August 16, 2021
‘Just like grief, waiting had stages.’
On the Pacific Island of Fairfolk, Judy Novak waits for her daughter Paulina. They were to have lunch together. But twenty-nine-year-old Paulina never turns up. Judy is worried. Paulina, troubled and moody, has threatened to take her own life before. Where is she?
Paulina’s body is discovered. She was murdered. Why, and by whom?
As the investigation unfolds and the story moves between past and present, we learn more about Paulina and her move to Fairfolk Island. Paulina was looking for a fresh start but was unable to move out of her pattern of volatile relationships, fuelled by excessive alcohol and an eating disorder. When drunk, Paulina did not care who she offended, sober she could not always make amends. And, as she lurched from one crisis to the next, she managed to offend plenty of Fairfolk Islanders.
Dead or alive, Paulina is the centre of this novel. She is disruptive, self-destructive, utterly self-absorbed. But she should never have been murdered. Judy has some issues of her own to deal with, but she is determined to find out who killed Paulina and to ensure that she is not forgotten.
This novel made me uneasy as it captured and held my attention. While Paulina’s premature death (given her self-destructive behaviour) seemed almost inevitable, her murder was shocking. But it leads me into that uncomfortable space where sometimes the behaviour of the victim is scrutinised more closely than that of the murderer. And what about those left behind?
While I wanted to know who murdered Paulina, it was her life rather than her death that has stayed with me. And Judy’s struggle to understand and to try to find her own place in a world without Paulina. This is an uncomfortable novel to read. There are few likeable characters and no neat endings.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Scribe UK for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
On the Pacific Island of Fairfolk, Judy Novak waits for her daughter Paulina. They were to have lunch together. But twenty-nine-year-old Paulina never turns up. Judy is worried. Paulina, troubled and moody, has threatened to take her own life before. Where is she?
Paulina’s body is discovered. She was murdered. Why, and by whom?
As the investigation unfolds and the story moves between past and present, we learn more about Paulina and her move to Fairfolk Island. Paulina was looking for a fresh start but was unable to move out of her pattern of volatile relationships, fuelled by excessive alcohol and an eating disorder. When drunk, Paulina did not care who she offended, sober she could not always make amends. And, as she lurched from one crisis to the next, she managed to offend plenty of Fairfolk Islanders.
Dead or alive, Paulina is the centre of this novel. She is disruptive, self-destructive, utterly self-absorbed. But she should never have been murdered. Judy has some issues of her own to deal with, but she is determined to find out who killed Paulina and to ensure that she is not forgotten.
This novel made me uneasy as it captured and held my attention. While Paulina’s premature death (given her self-destructive behaviour) seemed almost inevitable, her murder was shocking. But it leads me into that uncomfortable space where sometimes the behaviour of the victim is scrutinised more closely than that of the murderer. And what about those left behind?
While I wanted to know who murdered Paulina, it was her life rather than her death that has stayed with me. And Judy’s struggle to understand and to try to find her own place in a world without Paulina. This is an uncomfortable novel to read. There are few likeable characters and no neat endings.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Scribe UK for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
September 23, 2021
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is an extraordinary writer and I loved her previous book, Beautiful Revolutionary. Her latest novel The Newcomer (Scribe 2021) is painful, exquisite, confronting, authentic and compelling reading. I have some concern that this book is ‘ethically fraught’ (as one author friend suggested), but I will separate that criticism from the main review of the book as a work of fiction.
The Newcomer is a crime story with the victim at the very heart of the narrative. This is a tale where almost every character is dislikeable, untrustworthy and villainous ��� including the victim – and where, without exception, all of the characters make poor choices and bad decisions. And yet the standard of Woollett’s writing is such that the novel is completely engaging and the reader is compelled to keep turning the pages. We desperately want to know what happens to the characters and we care about what happens to them, despite disliking them or perhaps not agreeing with their lifestyle choices. This is quite an achievement for the author to keep the reader so invested.
The story has a dual timeline. In the present, Judy Novak waits for her adult daughter, Paulina, in a hotel room on a tiny pacific island where Paulina has been living and working. They were supposed to meet; Judy has travelled to the island especially to connect with Paulina and see how she is doing. Paulina has mental health and self-esteem issues (brilliantly examined with a forensic eye) and a history of self-harm, alcohol and drug abuse and disastrous relationships with ill-chosen men. Judy becomes increasingly worried, Paulina doesn’t show up and, within hours, her body is found on a lonely part of the island.
At first, Judy’s worst fears seem to have eventuated – Paulina has taken her own life, something she has been threatening to do for years. But it is quickly established that Paulina was murdered, and suddenly the very small population of the island are all potential suspects, especially the many men with whom Paulina had relationships or sexual liaisons.
The second timeline takes us back to before Paulina’s death, to the events of the preceding months. This includes an intimately described and raw, visceral exploration of the mother/daughter relationship between these two women, which is revealed in ugly, moving, heart-breaking, angry and desperate detail. Both women say and do things of which they are not proud. Both make bad decisions, both have regrets, both are caught in the flawed patterns of their relationship which circle around again and again to the same mistakes.
In this way, through alternate chapters from before and after, Woollett reveals Paulina’s life before the incident, and simultaneously the horrific emotional aftermath of her death, not only for her mother but for others who knew her. She was the newcomer to the island, and the islanders to some extent close ranks and make the investigation into her death difficult. The men in this book are particularly awful (generally), although the women too are not great. As I said, incredibly dislikeable characters and yet completely compelling reading.
There are important themes in this book: victim shaming, power, abuse, violence, family, self-identity and self-hate, and so many themes around sexual violence, promiscuity, desire and agency. The book is sure to promote much discussion around moral questions of intent, predators, victims and compromised situations.
My next comment is arguably the most difficult part of this review. I began this book believing it to be a work of fiction. Although one endorsement on the front cover includes the words ‘inspired by true events’, nowhere in the blurb on the back of the book (or in the acknowledgements) does it say anything about being based on fact, and I had forgotten this was the case, until halfway through reading when a friend pointed me in the direction of the real-life murder of a woman on Norfolk Island in 2002, the first person to be murdered there since 1893.
Now of course authors use real life facts and actual people and events to inspire their writing – as indeed Woollett did so well with Beautiful Revolutionary. But as I read about the actual case, I became unsettled by the extremely close similarities between the Norfolk Island case and the crime described in The Newcomer. From the age of the victim to some of her family circumstances, from the smallest details around the actual murder to the identity of the alleged killer to the person who identified the body, many of these are lifted almost exactly from the true crime case. This resulted in mixed feelings for me, centred around questions such as: how do the actual mother and family feel about the way that they and the victim have been portrayed? Does an author have the right to lift certain central details but then to add quite terrible fictionalised aspects? How do Norfolk Island people feel about the depiction of themselves? The fact that this is basically a rewrite or a reinterpretation of history without any acknowledgement of the real family and people involved is problematic for me. It muddied the waters; I found it disconcerting. Also, while Beautiful Revolutionary was based on events of fifty years ago, this is much more recent. It’s interesting to me that when I was reading the story thinking it was fiction, I was absolutely revelling in the entertainment of the awful characters and their bad behaviour. But as soon as I realised it was so heavily based on a real story, it began to feel a little like trauma porn, and I almost felt guilty reading fictionalised material about these real-life people – ‘facts’ that might be a misrepresentation, and which those real people have no way of addressing.
Whatever your feelings about this aspect, there is no doubt that this is a compelling story about weighty psychological themes, written with sharp, evocative prose and sparkling dialogue. Certainly it is a story I haven’t stopped thinking about.
The Newcomer is a crime story with the victim at the very heart of the narrative. This is a tale where almost every character is dislikeable, untrustworthy and villainous ��� including the victim – and where, without exception, all of the characters make poor choices and bad decisions. And yet the standard of Woollett’s writing is such that the novel is completely engaging and the reader is compelled to keep turning the pages. We desperately want to know what happens to the characters and we care about what happens to them, despite disliking them or perhaps not agreeing with their lifestyle choices. This is quite an achievement for the author to keep the reader so invested.
The story has a dual timeline. In the present, Judy Novak waits for her adult daughter, Paulina, in a hotel room on a tiny pacific island where Paulina has been living and working. They were supposed to meet; Judy has travelled to the island especially to connect with Paulina and see how she is doing. Paulina has mental health and self-esteem issues (brilliantly examined with a forensic eye) and a history of self-harm, alcohol and drug abuse and disastrous relationships with ill-chosen men. Judy becomes increasingly worried, Paulina doesn’t show up and, within hours, her body is found on a lonely part of the island.
At first, Judy’s worst fears seem to have eventuated – Paulina has taken her own life, something she has been threatening to do for years. But it is quickly established that Paulina was murdered, and suddenly the very small population of the island are all potential suspects, especially the many men with whom Paulina had relationships or sexual liaisons.
The second timeline takes us back to before Paulina’s death, to the events of the preceding months. This includes an intimately described and raw, visceral exploration of the mother/daughter relationship between these two women, which is revealed in ugly, moving, heart-breaking, angry and desperate detail. Both women say and do things of which they are not proud. Both make bad decisions, both have regrets, both are caught in the flawed patterns of their relationship which circle around again and again to the same mistakes.
In this way, through alternate chapters from before and after, Woollett reveals Paulina’s life before the incident, and simultaneously the horrific emotional aftermath of her death, not only for her mother but for others who knew her. She was the newcomer to the island, and the islanders to some extent close ranks and make the investigation into her death difficult. The men in this book are particularly awful (generally), although the women too are not great. As I said, incredibly dislikeable characters and yet completely compelling reading.
There are important themes in this book: victim shaming, power, abuse, violence, family, self-identity and self-hate, and so many themes around sexual violence, promiscuity, desire and agency. The book is sure to promote much discussion around moral questions of intent, predators, victims and compromised situations.
My next comment is arguably the most difficult part of this review. I began this book believing it to be a work of fiction. Although one endorsement on the front cover includes the words ‘inspired by true events’, nowhere in the blurb on the back of the book (or in the acknowledgements) does it say anything about being based on fact, and I had forgotten this was the case, until halfway through reading when a friend pointed me in the direction of the real-life murder of a woman on Norfolk Island in 2002, the first person to be murdered there since 1893.
Now of course authors use real life facts and actual people and events to inspire their writing – as indeed Woollett did so well with Beautiful Revolutionary. But as I read about the actual case, I became unsettled by the extremely close similarities between the Norfolk Island case and the crime described in The Newcomer. From the age of the victim to some of her family circumstances, from the smallest details around the actual murder to the identity of the alleged killer to the person who identified the body, many of these are lifted almost exactly from the true crime case. This resulted in mixed feelings for me, centred around questions such as: how do the actual mother and family feel about the way that they and the victim have been portrayed? Does an author have the right to lift certain central details but then to add quite terrible fictionalised aspects? How do Norfolk Island people feel about the depiction of themselves? The fact that this is basically a rewrite or a reinterpretation of history without any acknowledgement of the real family and people involved is problematic for me. It muddied the waters; I found it disconcerting. Also, while Beautiful Revolutionary was based on events of fifty years ago, this is much more recent. It’s interesting to me that when I was reading the story thinking it was fiction, I was absolutely revelling in the entertainment of the awful characters and their bad behaviour. But as soon as I realised it was so heavily based on a real story, it began to feel a little like trauma porn, and I almost felt guilty reading fictionalised material about these real-life people – ‘facts’ that might be a misrepresentation, and which those real people have no way of addressing.
Whatever your feelings about this aspect, there is no doubt that this is a compelling story about weighty psychological themes, written with sharp, evocative prose and sparkling dialogue. Certainly it is a story I haven’t stopped thinking about.
March 1, 2022
- thanks to @scribepub for my #gifted copy
I was absolutely thrilled about reading The Newcomer, given that, when I received my copy, everyone I knew was reading it and raving about it. Obviously, I should have known better at this stage of my reading life - hyped books aren't usually my thing, something I have ascertained repeatedly.
At the very beginning, I was hopeful. The mystery around the odd circumstances of Paulina's death definitely caught my attention, and, added to Paulina's seemingly rebellious characterisation, I was certain I had just found my next favourite book. But, alas, I could not have been more wrong.
One of my particular traits as a reader is that I usually do not feel strongly -positively or negatively- towards characters in general, so I'm not exaggerating when I say that I can't remember the last time I actively hated a character so much as I despised Paulina. Strong words, I know, yet no less real. The author's success doubtlessly lies in creating such an impactful, unforgettable and credible character; unfortunately, Paulina ruined the whole narrative for me and what could have been a great novel.
There's no way I could ever remotely enjoy reading about such a selfish, cruel and abusive character. Paulina is simply awful to everyone, even to those who truly loved and cared about her - especially her mother. She carelessly lied, manipulated and went out of her way to find trouble with everyone she crossed paths with, then whinged when shit kept happening. She made sure she made enemies of everyone and purposefully ruined any possible healthy relationships of any kind. Paulina wasn't simply an odd young woman that did not deserve to die: she was an awful person actively pushing for something terrible to happen. Sadly, there was no nuance behind Paulina's characterisation, not any remotely redeemable trait, which makes me angry at such victim-blaming portrayal.
Overall, The Newcomer was a joyless and infuriating read. Unfortunately, the author did no justice to actual victims with her narrative, so I cannot in good conscience recommend this book.
I was absolutely thrilled about reading The Newcomer, given that, when I received my copy, everyone I knew was reading it and raving about it. Obviously, I should have known better at this stage of my reading life - hyped books aren't usually my thing, something I have ascertained repeatedly.
At the very beginning, I was hopeful. The mystery around the odd circumstances of Paulina's death definitely caught my attention, and, added to Paulina's seemingly rebellious characterisation, I was certain I had just found my next favourite book. But, alas, I could not have been more wrong.
One of my particular traits as a reader is that I usually do not feel strongly -positively or negatively- towards characters in general, so I'm not exaggerating when I say that I can't remember the last time I actively hated a character so much as I despised Paulina. Strong words, I know, yet no less real. The author's success doubtlessly lies in creating such an impactful, unforgettable and credible character; unfortunately, Paulina ruined the whole narrative for me and what could have been a great novel.
There's no way I could ever remotely enjoy reading about such a selfish, cruel and abusive character. Paulina is simply awful to everyone, even to those who truly loved and cared about her - especially her mother. She carelessly lied, manipulated and went out of her way to find trouble with everyone she crossed paths with, then whinged when shit kept happening. She made sure she made enemies of everyone and purposefully ruined any possible healthy relationships of any kind. Paulina wasn't simply an odd young woman that did not deserve to die: she was an awful person actively pushing for something terrible to happen. Sadly, there was no nuance behind Paulina's characterisation, not any remotely redeemable trait, which makes me angry at such victim-blaming portrayal.
Overall, The Newcomer was a joyless and infuriating read. Unfortunately, the author did no justice to actual victims with her narrative, so I cannot in good conscience recommend this book.
January 5, 2022
“There’s no such thing as a perfect victim”
Wow! I apologise now for all the epithets which might come to the fore in this review. However, this was one hard-hitting, no-holds-barred storyline, written in a forthright, often abrasive style, by an author who doesn’t mince or sugar-coat her words. Be prepared for some very raw and coarse language and sexual references which leave little or nothing to the imagination. However, you won’t need to scratch too far beneath the tough veneer of the main protagonist Paulina, to appreciate that she is one seriously damaged and disturbed individual and that her personality is succinctly and wonderfully captured, in the often outrageous and graphic montages, which reflect how she lived her all too short life.
I recognise that this is really Paulina’s story to be told, however I felt that her mother, Judy’s story was equally relevant and disturbing, with the relationship between them being strained and dysfunctional at best, although peel away the layers and that in their own ways they loved each other without question or reservation, there can be no doubt. What should have been the strongest single point of commonality between them, the fragility and frailty of the human mind, was ultimately that which separated them and tore them apart.
The story of a damaged family, successive generational abuse and mental illness, Judy and her sister Caroline, had themselves endured a traumatic childhood, and the revelation that to this day ‘Caro’ still self-harms, despite the relatively ‘normal’ family life of her own she now enjoys, is no real surprise. Judy, on the other hand, is still lamenting the loss of Paulina’s father Marco, from many years ago and refuses to acknowledge his previous family, constantly in self-denial that Paulina has reached out to them and enjoys a good, long-distance friendship with her stepsister, Milica. Judy definitely isn’t mother-of-the-year material, yet when she arrives on the island to visit Paulina and is forced to return home with a coffin, the outpouring of grief appears genuine and palpable and although she is obviously looking for someone to blame and have them accept the consequences of their actions, she is willing to admit her own failings in influencing her daughter’s life. That she then commits the cardinal sin of lusting after Paulina’s one relatively stable male relationship, simply serves to reinforce the skewed outlook on commitment and relationships the female members of the family seem to have. Even when, years later, Judy meets and marries another ‘mainie’ man, who is in many ways as damaged as she is, the urge to try and recapture that earlier lustful dalliance, is overwhelming.
Paulina’s life and ultimately her tragic death, is literally a car crash waiting to happen. Disruptive and constantly on the verge of hitting the self-destruct button, she is a pathological liar, whose gutter language is as normal to her as breathing air. She is crude, promiscuous, an anorexic alcoholic. She really doesn’t care how many lives and relationships she damages or ultimately breaks, in her desire to get what she thinks she wants, only to toss it to one side when she is bored and something, or someone better comes along. She expects to be treated badly and therefore isn’t surprised when she is, although what she had thought was an unwelcome pregnancy, which is then miscarried, affects her much more than she thought it would. In the early 2000s, the eclectic mix of ethnic and cultural groups on the small island of Fairfolk (reportedly Norfolk Island) meant that there was obvious racial bias, which Paulina treated with her trademark contempt. Alongside that, there is also a strong misogynistic trait which runs through the male population of ethnic persuasion and of which Paulina is ultimately and inevitably, doomed to fall foul. However, despite that damning indictment of one totally screwed up and damaged young person, does that mean she would ever have deserved her eventual, devastating, terrible and no doubt terrifying fate? She is after all, still a victim!
A bold and powerful portrayal of societal and cultural mores, the short and fluent chapters, successfully alternated between past and present (pre and post Paulina’s death) and kept the story moving along at a steady pace, towards its inexorably lugubrious conclusion. This was such a complex, challenging and multi-layered storyline; which was ultra intense, rich in atmosphere, cloyingly claustrophobic, highly textured and often very uncomfortable to read. I almost forgot that to some degree, this was also a crime story, which almost became a secondary plot for me. However author Laura Woollett, seamlessly and masterfully structured the storyline and laid the groundwork for her suspects, of which, as you can imagine, there were plenty. I never even came close to putting a name or face to the killer though, so be prepared for a total surprise. Some skilled imagery with words added real depth, range and descriptive qualities, to the immersive narrative and dialogue, which although often unsettling, afforded a poignant, evocative, compelling and genuine sense of time and place.
Albeit that Laura has undoubtedly put together a well drawn and developed cast of characters, who captured my attention, I felt that I couldn’t even begin to relate to, invest in or identify with, any single one of them, so repugnant, unlikable and disconnected from reality were they and so little did any of them invoke an ounce of my sympathy. There were no neatly packaged and tied endings, and definitely no ‘happy ever afters’ for anyone in this insular and isolated society.
Based loosely on the true story of Janelle Patton’s murder, which I must admit I knew nothing about, although a comprehensive Google and Wikipedia search soon put that right, this story is a blended mix of fact and fiction, which whilst I could tell was factual in timeline, I also hope was accurate in characterisation and was not too disingenuous to the real victim. My review however, treated this completely as a work of fiction, which is how I chose to read it.
The Newcomer was not an easy read and having checked out a small selection of previous reviews, I really do think that this is one book which will take each reader on their own individual journey and for whom the author will unlock and stimulate unique senses to fire the imagination and provoke much thought and soul-searching.
To meet the author and share some of my most memorable extracts from the book, visit...
https://www.fiction-books.biz/reviews...
Wow! I apologise now for all the epithets which might come to the fore in this review. However, this was one hard-hitting, no-holds-barred storyline, written in a forthright, often abrasive style, by an author who doesn’t mince or sugar-coat her words. Be prepared for some very raw and coarse language and sexual references which leave little or nothing to the imagination. However, you won’t need to scratch too far beneath the tough veneer of the main protagonist Paulina, to appreciate that she is one seriously damaged and disturbed individual and that her personality is succinctly and wonderfully captured, in the often outrageous and graphic montages, which reflect how she lived her all too short life.
I recognise that this is really Paulina’s story to be told, however I felt that her mother, Judy’s story was equally relevant and disturbing, with the relationship between them being strained and dysfunctional at best, although peel away the layers and that in their own ways they loved each other without question or reservation, there can be no doubt. What should have been the strongest single point of commonality between them, the fragility and frailty of the human mind, was ultimately that which separated them and tore them apart.
The story of a damaged family, successive generational abuse and mental illness, Judy and her sister Caroline, had themselves endured a traumatic childhood, and the revelation that to this day ‘Caro’ still self-harms, despite the relatively ‘normal’ family life of her own she now enjoys, is no real surprise. Judy, on the other hand, is still lamenting the loss of Paulina’s father Marco, from many years ago and refuses to acknowledge his previous family, constantly in self-denial that Paulina has reached out to them and enjoys a good, long-distance friendship with her stepsister, Milica. Judy definitely isn’t mother-of-the-year material, yet when she arrives on the island to visit Paulina and is forced to return home with a coffin, the outpouring of grief appears genuine and palpable and although she is obviously looking for someone to blame and have them accept the consequences of their actions, she is willing to admit her own failings in influencing her daughter’s life. That she then commits the cardinal sin of lusting after Paulina’s one relatively stable male relationship, simply serves to reinforce the skewed outlook on commitment and relationships the female members of the family seem to have. Even when, years later, Judy meets and marries another ‘mainie’ man, who is in many ways as damaged as she is, the urge to try and recapture that earlier lustful dalliance, is overwhelming.
Paulina’s life and ultimately her tragic death, is literally a car crash waiting to happen. Disruptive and constantly on the verge of hitting the self-destruct button, she is a pathological liar, whose gutter language is as normal to her as breathing air. She is crude, promiscuous, an anorexic alcoholic. She really doesn’t care how many lives and relationships she damages or ultimately breaks, in her desire to get what she thinks she wants, only to toss it to one side when she is bored and something, or someone better comes along. She expects to be treated badly and therefore isn’t surprised when she is, although what she had thought was an unwelcome pregnancy, which is then miscarried, affects her much more than she thought it would. In the early 2000s, the eclectic mix of ethnic and cultural groups on the small island of Fairfolk (reportedly Norfolk Island) meant that there was obvious racial bias, which Paulina treated with her trademark contempt. Alongside that, there is also a strong misogynistic trait which runs through the male population of ethnic persuasion and of which Paulina is ultimately and inevitably, doomed to fall foul. However, despite that damning indictment of one totally screwed up and damaged young person, does that mean she would ever have deserved her eventual, devastating, terrible and no doubt terrifying fate? She is after all, still a victim!
A bold and powerful portrayal of societal and cultural mores, the short and fluent chapters, successfully alternated between past and present (pre and post Paulina’s death) and kept the story moving along at a steady pace, towards its inexorably lugubrious conclusion. This was such a complex, challenging and multi-layered storyline; which was ultra intense, rich in atmosphere, cloyingly claustrophobic, highly textured and often very uncomfortable to read. I almost forgot that to some degree, this was also a crime story, which almost became a secondary plot for me. However author Laura Woollett, seamlessly and masterfully structured the storyline and laid the groundwork for her suspects, of which, as you can imagine, there were plenty. I never even came close to putting a name or face to the killer though, so be prepared for a total surprise. Some skilled imagery with words added real depth, range and descriptive qualities, to the immersive narrative and dialogue, which although often unsettling, afforded a poignant, evocative, compelling and genuine sense of time and place.
Albeit that Laura has undoubtedly put together a well drawn and developed cast of characters, who captured my attention, I felt that I couldn’t even begin to relate to, invest in or identify with, any single one of them, so repugnant, unlikable and disconnected from reality were they and so little did any of them invoke an ounce of my sympathy. There were no neatly packaged and tied endings, and definitely no ‘happy ever afters’ for anyone in this insular and isolated society.
Based loosely on the true story of Janelle Patton’s murder, which I must admit I knew nothing about, although a comprehensive Google and Wikipedia search soon put that right, this story is a blended mix of fact and fiction, which whilst I could tell was factual in timeline, I also hope was accurate in characterisation and was not too disingenuous to the real victim. My review however, treated this completely as a work of fiction, which is how I chose to read it.
The Newcomer was not an easy read and having checked out a small selection of previous reviews, I really do think that this is one book which will take each reader on their own individual journey and for whom the author will unlock and stimulate unique senses to fire the imagination and provoke much thought and soul-searching.
To meet the author and share some of my most memorable extracts from the book, visit...
https://www.fiction-books.biz/reviews...
October 1, 2024
This is a hard one to review. I think Woollett succeeds with her thematic intentions, particularly the way she constantly challenges the reader to consider their own assumptions when it comes to who makes 'the perfect victim'. The book is drenched in sickening misogyny, yet it's more noticeable when directed at sympathetic characters such as Bunny White, rather than the very unsympathetic protagonist (and 'dead girl') Paulina. I have no problem with 'unlikeable characters', but Pauline exceeds unlikeable by a factor of 100; she has no redeeming features whatsoever. She is an unfunny 'Kim' from Kath and Kim with a major alcohol problem and an eating disorder. How anyone could tolerate her, let alone like or love here, was the real mystery of this book. Woollett allows very little access to her characters' thoughts, relying instead on dialogue (and there is a shit load of dialogue) and action to do all character heavy lifting, which I think contributed to Paulina's lack of depth as a character. I wouldn't spend 10 minutes with someone as obnoxious, selfish and self-obsessed as Paulina, so to have spent an entire book being 'forced' to care about her because she was the victim of a sickening crime made me kind of cranky in the end.
The other issue, and it's a big one, is Woollett basing the plot on a real murder that occurred on Norfolk Island. Despite the name changes there’s no disguising the fact the book is set on Norfolk Island and the murder of Paulina was based on the murder of Janelle Patton, a 29-year-old Sydney woman who was stabbed 64 times on Norfolk Island on 31 March 2002. The ethics of this really bothers me. On the one hand, the book is fictional, so Woollett can claim her hideous creation ‘Paulina’ is not based on Janelle, but then she takes all the surrounding detail of what happened to Janelle, including the manner of her death and who did it (with a name change and whose guilt remains contested to this day), to construct a work of fiction that is supposed to function as both a crime novel and a treatise on misogyny. The afterword does not acknowledge the book is based on Janelle Patton’s murder, and I think that is telling — it’s like Woollett is trying to distant herself from her material in a bid to say her book has nothing to do with Janelle Patton. I find this hugely problematic and I can only imagine how devastating this book would be to her family. Imagine people thinking your daughter — the victim of a brutal murder — was the inspiration for the revolting Paulina?
By sticking too closely to the facts of Janelle’s death, the book does not succeed as a crime novel either. It offers no satisfactory resolution and the ‘whodunnit’ is anticlimactic to say the least. If the book were a more contemplative read — yes, ‘more literary’ — and better written, I think Woollett may have gotten away with it, but The Newcomer is written in the style of an airport crime novel, and therefore it invites readers to read it as such. I think to compensate for this lack of narrative resolution or satisfaction, Woollett introduces a wholly unnecessary and unbelievable subplot that draws the whole sorry thing out by many, many unnecessary pages (laden with lots more unnecessary dialogue).
While I admire what Woollett is attempting to do with The Newcomer — pushing genre boundaries and challenging readers to consider their assumptions about victims of brutal misogynistic crimes and who deserves our sympathy — I don’t think its ambitions were fully realised and, though it’s a worthy attempt, it largely fails artistically as a novel.
The other issue, and it's a big one, is Woollett basing the plot on a real murder that occurred on Norfolk Island. Despite the name changes there’s no disguising the fact the book is set on Norfolk Island and the murder of Paulina was based on the murder of Janelle Patton, a 29-year-old Sydney woman who was stabbed 64 times on Norfolk Island on 31 March 2002. The ethics of this really bothers me. On the one hand, the book is fictional, so Woollett can claim her hideous creation ‘Paulina’ is not based on Janelle, but then she takes all the surrounding detail of what happened to Janelle, including the manner of her death and who did it (with a name change and whose guilt remains contested to this day), to construct a work of fiction that is supposed to function as both a crime novel and a treatise on misogyny. The afterword does not acknowledge the book is based on Janelle Patton’s murder, and I think that is telling — it’s like Woollett is trying to distant herself from her material in a bid to say her book has nothing to do with Janelle Patton. I find this hugely problematic and I can only imagine how devastating this book would be to her family. Imagine people thinking your daughter — the victim of a brutal murder — was the inspiration for the revolting Paulina?
By sticking too closely to the facts of Janelle’s death, the book does not succeed as a crime novel either. It offers no satisfactory resolution and the ‘whodunnit’ is anticlimactic to say the least. If the book were a more contemplative read — yes, ‘more literary’ — and better written, I think Woollett may have gotten away with it, but The Newcomer is written in the style of an airport crime novel, and therefore it invites readers to read it as such. I think to compensate for this lack of narrative resolution or satisfaction, Woollett introduces a wholly unnecessary and unbelievable subplot that draws the whole sorry thing out by many, many unnecessary pages (laden with lots more unnecessary dialogue).
While I admire what Woollett is attempting to do with The Newcomer — pushing genre boundaries and challenging readers to consider their assumptions about victims of brutal misogynistic crimes and who deserves our sympathy — I don’t think its ambitions were fully realised and, though it’s a worthy attempt, it largely fails artistically as a novel.
June 14, 2021
I'm afraid to say that The Newcomer and I did not get on at all. I was fully ready to embrace a fast-paced crime mystery/thriller set in a far-flung location where a newcomer interacts with the locals (think Scrublands) and thought this would be the perfect book to read during the heatwave we've been having.
Instead this tested my patience as reader. There was so much dialogue which did not further the plot, and which - while the subject matter differed - felt like the protagonist was having the exact same conversation with everyone she came across. Paulina (said protagonist) is portrayed as some wild party girl who drinks too much and is constantly in some sort of state of rebelling against her mother. Aged 28, she relocates from Sydney to a remote Pacific island with the hope of finding a job and settling down there, and much of the first third of the book is her meeting various locals and clashing with them due to her ~wild party girl/irreverent personality~. Everyone who meets her is shocked by her, and she ingratiates her way into their lives (with what read to me like ulterior motives). While the novel reads relatively quickly it ended up feeling really quite repetitive.
This brings me to my next gripe with The Newcomer: Flawed and complex protagonists have their place in novels but Paulina is, honestly, insufferable, and I found her borderline unbearable to read about. Now, I think this is the point on the author's part but it elicited so much eye rolling from my end I couldn't look past it and it impacted upon my enjoyment of the novel.
The sections with Paulina's mother, Judy Novak, were more enjoyable and were well-written, but I'm sorry to say that this was not the book for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Scribe for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Instead this tested my patience as reader. There was so much dialogue which did not further the plot, and which - while the subject matter differed - felt like the protagonist was having the exact same conversation with everyone she came across. Paulina (said protagonist) is portrayed as some wild party girl who drinks too much and is constantly in some sort of state of rebelling against her mother. Aged 28, she relocates from Sydney to a remote Pacific island with the hope of finding a job and settling down there, and much of the first third of the book is her meeting various locals and clashing with them due to her ~wild party girl/irreverent personality~. Everyone who meets her is shocked by her, and she ingratiates her way into their lives (with what read to me like ulterior motives). While the novel reads relatively quickly it ended up feeling really quite repetitive.
This brings me to my next gripe with The Newcomer: Flawed and complex protagonists have their place in novels but Paulina is, honestly, insufferable, and I found her borderline unbearable to read about. Now, I think this is the point on the author's part but it elicited so much eye rolling from my end I couldn't look past it and it impacted upon my enjoyment of the novel.
The sections with Paulina's mother, Judy Novak, were more enjoyable and were well-written, but I'm sorry to say that this was not the book for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Scribe for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2021
Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s books have always been crime adjacent but this sits much more squarely in the genre. And it’s as darkly disturbing and wonderful as I hoped it would be. Woollett conjures a cast of characters and gives us glimpses of them at their best and at their very very worst. I spent the book thinking about harm – how we harm ourselves, how we harm others, the times we are in harm’s way, the times harm finds us, the times we seek harm. It is a book about violence and pain that is impossible to look away from. And it’s a masterclass at how to use setting to evoke mood.
September 17, 2021
I found an ecopy on libby and read it almost in one sitting. I vaguely recalled the murder of Jillian Patton on NI back in 2002. When I looked it up recently I was so surprised how closely Woollett used Jillian's story, right down to what her creepy teacher had written in her report when she was 5 years old. I think that the Mother and surrounding fictional characters were not drawn from Jillian's family but there were elements of the people from NI, I wonder how it's been received there? Such a sympathetic telling and and well rounded treatment of the main character.
NI (or Fairfolk Island) is a great setting and a contained place for a story like this.
So it was very worthwhile me breaking my usual rule of a crime story where there is a woman brutally murdered.
NI (or Fairfolk Island) is a great setting and a contained place for a story like this.
So it was very worthwhile me breaking my usual rule of a crime story where there is a woman brutally murdered.
Read
September 22, 2021Unlike many crime novels, the victim sits at the heart of The Newcomer. Woollett shows deep empathy for her characters, while delivering an immersive, utterly gripping story.
Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera
Laura Elizabeth Woollett has done it again. The Newcomer pulls you in from its eerie opening and drags you along with intriguing characters and beautifully wrought prose. As the mystery deepens, you begin to realise things are never clear-cut, and everybody is guilty of something. A cautionary tale inspired by true events by one of my favourite authors. Read this book now.
JP Pomare, author of Call Me Evie
The Newcomer is a dark and disturbing novel, speaking to some of the most troubling aspects of contemporary Australian society. As in Beautiful Revolutionary, Woollett’s prose is delicate and brutal in equal measure, offering an intimate portrait of a small and tight-knit community. With a fast-paced narrative and a complex central character, this is a searing exploration of sexual violence and victimhood, taking forward important conversations within our national psyche.
Catherine Noske, author of The Salt Madonna
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is my kind of writer — fearless, incisive, and darkly poetic. The Newcomer is by turns tragic, funny, sinister, and completely riveting.
David Whish-Wilson, author of Shore Leave
Intriguing and touching, The Newcomer is a new kind of crime novel.
Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain
Woollett is a dexterous storyteller — she has a keen sense of place and dialogue, evoking a Kath & Kim-esque fish-out-of-water story as she illustrates the relationships between Fairfolk Island’s many locals and Paulina, a “mainie” who is as strange to them as they are to her.
Books+Publishing
Intensely chilling and sucker-punch powerful, The Newcomer is a murder mystery, but not as you know it. With a seamless blend of electric prose, simmering tension, and a deeply evocative setting, Woollett sharpens her focus on the humanity of the victim rather than the identity of the killer. The small-town intrigue sets your heart pounding — but it’s the characters, so nuanced and vivid you can almost reach out and touch them, who make it bleed. They pull you into their world from the first page and stay with you long after you’ve turned the last, forcing you to consider the stories of those who often go unnamed or unnoticed in the wake of violence and tragedy. The result is a crime novel that, like its protagonist, throws out the rule book and blazes its own dark and unforgettable trail.
Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
Intriguing and touching, The Newcomer is a new kind of crime novel.
Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain
With its refreshingly real voice, Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s The Newcomer takes Australian crime fiction to a whole new level. Haunting. Raw. Compulsive. I can’t stop thinking about it.
Anna Snoekstra, author of Only Daughter
Woollett is a dexterous storyteller — she has a keen sense of place and dialogue, evoking a Kath & Kim-esque fish-out-of-water story as she illustrates the relationships between Fairfolk Island’s many locals and Paulina, a "mainie" who is as strange to them as they are to her.
Cher Tan, Books + Publishing
[An] entertaining and powerful read.
Bec Kavanagh, Readings
[Woollett's] depiction of Paulina is as complex as it needs to be. No ‘victim’ is a facsimile. No story like this, whether true or not, is simple or merely two-sided. Paulina is difficult, moody and reckless much of the time. She seeks solace in the things – drink, drugs and brutal sex – that hurt her. But as Woollett’s clever storytelling and research shows, none of this should lead to a killing in the wilderness.
Chris Johnston, The Saturday Paper
Woollett manipulates the structure of the crime novel, the suspense of the whodunnit, to destabilise the idea that there is ever one perpetrator of a crime … [her] prose is intellectual and deliberate … The Newcomer does a lot in its short pages, weaving together a story of grief and unhappiness with a compelling crime narrative.
Bec Kavanagh, The Guardian
Woollett convincingly and devastatingly evokes the everyday misogyny of the world her characters inhabit. This is a world in which even apparently friendly exchanges are laced with an acrid antipathy towards women and girls, one in which women are blamed for the male violence that they’re subject to … Politics and fiction haven’t always been an easy combination, but they are here … Throughout the novel, Woollett provides a sensitive and refreshingly unjudgmental insight into the lives of her two female protagonists … [and her] eye for dialogue and character development is impeccable.
Jay Daniel Thompson, Australian Book Review
[The Newcomer] is stark, confronting and as compelling as a car going over a cliff in slow motion.’
Sue Turnbull, The Age
Atmospheric and unsettling.
Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian
The Newcomer is a cleverly written, gripping read that takes the classic crime fiction format and flips it by asking, what happens when the unlikeable victim is murdered? … it is a strong debut to the genre, with a gripping narrative deepened by the complexity of themes being uncovered, which include explorations of gender, race and mental health … [The Newcomer] will leave the reader reflecting and unpacking it for days after reading.
Zoya Patel , Inverell Times
This novel is part of a growing (and welcome) trend in recent fiction to explicitly interrogate the idea of “dead girl” mysteries, and make its victim whole and nuanced.
InDaily
Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera
Laura Elizabeth Woollett has done it again. The Newcomer pulls you in from its eerie opening and drags you along with intriguing characters and beautifully wrought prose. As the mystery deepens, you begin to realise things are never clear-cut, and everybody is guilty of something. A cautionary tale inspired by true events by one of my favourite authors. Read this book now.
JP Pomare, author of Call Me Evie
The Newcomer is a dark and disturbing novel, speaking to some of the most troubling aspects of contemporary Australian society. As in Beautiful Revolutionary, Woollett’s prose is delicate and brutal in equal measure, offering an intimate portrait of a small and tight-knit community. With a fast-paced narrative and a complex central character, this is a searing exploration of sexual violence and victimhood, taking forward important conversations within our national psyche.
Catherine Noske, author of The Salt Madonna
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is my kind of writer — fearless, incisive, and darkly poetic. The Newcomer is by turns tragic, funny, sinister, and completely riveting.
David Whish-Wilson, author of Shore Leave
Intriguing and touching, The Newcomer is a new kind of crime novel.
Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain
Woollett is a dexterous storyteller — she has a keen sense of place and dialogue, evoking a Kath & Kim-esque fish-out-of-water story as she illustrates the relationships between Fairfolk Island’s many locals and Paulina, a “mainie” who is as strange to them as they are to her.
Books+Publishing
Intensely chilling and sucker-punch powerful, The Newcomer is a murder mystery, but not as you know it. With a seamless blend of electric prose, simmering tension, and a deeply evocative setting, Woollett sharpens her focus on the humanity of the victim rather than the identity of the killer. The small-town intrigue sets your heart pounding — but it’s the characters, so nuanced and vivid you can almost reach out and touch them, who make it bleed. They pull you into their world from the first page and stay with you long after you’ve turned the last, forcing you to consider the stories of those who often go unnamed or unnoticed in the wake of violence and tragedy. The result is a crime novel that, like its protagonist, throws out the rule book and blazes its own dark and unforgettable trail.
Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
Intriguing and touching, The Newcomer is a new kind of crime novel.
Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain
With its refreshingly real voice, Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s The Newcomer takes Australian crime fiction to a whole new level. Haunting. Raw. Compulsive. I can’t stop thinking about it.
Anna Snoekstra, author of Only Daughter
Woollett is a dexterous storyteller — she has a keen sense of place and dialogue, evoking a Kath & Kim-esque fish-out-of-water story as she illustrates the relationships between Fairfolk Island’s many locals and Paulina, a "mainie" who is as strange to them as they are to her.
Cher Tan, Books + Publishing
[An] entertaining and powerful read.
Bec Kavanagh, Readings
[Woollett's] depiction of Paulina is as complex as it needs to be. No ‘victim’ is a facsimile. No story like this, whether true or not, is simple or merely two-sided. Paulina is difficult, moody and reckless much of the time. She seeks solace in the things – drink, drugs and brutal sex – that hurt her. But as Woollett’s clever storytelling and research shows, none of this should lead to a killing in the wilderness.
Chris Johnston, The Saturday Paper
Woollett manipulates the structure of the crime novel, the suspense of the whodunnit, to destabilise the idea that there is ever one perpetrator of a crime … [her] prose is intellectual and deliberate … The Newcomer does a lot in its short pages, weaving together a story of grief and unhappiness with a compelling crime narrative.
Bec Kavanagh, The Guardian
Woollett convincingly and devastatingly evokes the everyday misogyny of the world her characters inhabit. This is a world in which even apparently friendly exchanges are laced with an acrid antipathy towards women and girls, one in which women are blamed for the male violence that they’re subject to … Politics and fiction haven’t always been an easy combination, but they are here … Throughout the novel, Woollett provides a sensitive and refreshingly unjudgmental insight into the lives of her two female protagonists … [and her] eye for dialogue and character development is impeccable.
Jay Daniel Thompson, Australian Book Review
[The Newcomer] is stark, confronting and as compelling as a car going over a cliff in slow motion.’
Sue Turnbull, The Age
Atmospheric and unsettling.
Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian
The Newcomer is a cleverly written, gripping read that takes the classic crime fiction format and flips it by asking, what happens when the unlikeable victim is murdered? … it is a strong debut to the genre, with a gripping narrative deepened by the complexity of themes being uncovered, which include explorations of gender, race and mental health … [The Newcomer] will leave the reader reflecting and unpacking it for days after reading.
Zoya Patel , Inverell Times
This novel is part of a growing (and welcome) trend in recent fiction to explicitly interrogate the idea of “dead girl” mysteries, and make its victim whole and nuanced.
InDaily
August 14, 2022
It’s a different kind of mystery. I found parts about Paulina fascinating but found the mystery element underwhelming and unexplained. But I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and plot location. Recommend.
April 6, 2022
TW: murder, eating disorders, self harm, suicide themes, sexual assault, family violence, mental health, alcohol abuse.
I really struggled to connect with all the characters and the plot of this book. The story switches between timelines, before and after 29 year old Paulina Novak was murdered the day before her 30th birthday on Fairfolk Island, after she relocated there at age 28 for a fresh start.
Paulina struggled with her mental health and on a whim, relocated to this island where she was considered a "mainie" a mainland Australian, who was very flirtatious and had her own rules about her relationships with those on the island, including drinking daily, sleeping around with the locals and demanding attention from others. Paulina was regularly suicidal, and this was evident throughout her phone conversations with her supportive mother, Judy, so when she was found, Judy assumed she had acted upon her thoughts.
I still am very confused by the disjointed nature of the book, of the timeline and why certain characters were introduced at all. I feel a big disconnect and struggled throughout the last 100 pages, questioning why the book followed the direction of Judy's life afterwards and the relevance of it to Paulina's life.
I would've preferred more of a backstory outlining Paulina's mental health and desire to relocate, and more about what happened to her on the night of the murder, because honestly, I still couldn't tell you what happened. This book felt rushed, and so much information was thrown at me, that it became overwhelming. I enjoyed being made uncomfortable by the way that Paulina was written and portrayed, because inevitably, mental health, thrill seeking and impulsive behaviour are not pretty and I felt that the author was able to capture how flawed and unwell Paulina was, which at times made her a very unlikeable protagonist.
2.5 stars. Thank you to Scribe for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really struggled to connect with all the characters and the plot of this book. The story switches between timelines, before and after 29 year old Paulina Novak was murdered the day before her 30th birthday on Fairfolk Island, after she relocated there at age 28 for a fresh start.
Paulina struggled with her mental health and on a whim, relocated to this island where she was considered a "mainie" a mainland Australian, who was very flirtatious and had her own rules about her relationships with those on the island, including drinking daily, sleeping around with the locals and demanding attention from others. Paulina was regularly suicidal, and this was evident throughout her phone conversations with her supportive mother, Judy, so when she was found, Judy assumed she had acted upon her thoughts.
I still am very confused by the disjointed nature of the book, of the timeline and why certain characters were introduced at all. I feel a big disconnect and struggled throughout the last 100 pages, questioning why the book followed the direction of Judy's life afterwards and the relevance of it to Paulina's life.
I would've preferred more of a backstory outlining Paulina's mental health and desire to relocate, and more about what happened to her on the night of the murder, because honestly, I still couldn't tell you what happened. This book felt rushed, and so much information was thrown at me, that it became overwhelming. I enjoyed being made uncomfortable by the way that Paulina was written and portrayed, because inevitably, mental health, thrill seeking and impulsive behaviour are not pretty and I felt that the author was able to capture how flawed and unwell Paulina was, which at times made her a very unlikeable protagonist.
2.5 stars. Thank you to Scribe for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2021
I don't normally write reviews for the books I read, I usually give them my star rating and move on... but this one... where do I begin. This book is very clearly a fictionalised account of the real-life murder of Janelle Patton on Norfolk Island on 31 March 2002. Janelle was the first person to be murdered on Norfolk Island since 1893 (not exactly a claim to fame, I know). The story is set on 'Fairfolk Island' and the victim's name is Paulina. It's taken me quite some time to read this book - I've got a few other things going on at the moment and reading hasn't been my top priority. It also took me a little while to get into it so I was more reluctant to go back to it. As I said, the story is about Paulina who winds up murdered on the island after moving there a couple of years beforehand to get away from a broken-down relationship and other dramas. This book sails so close to the wind of the details of Janelle's case, it is scary. However, it does go into a lot of detail which I find difficult to believe is accurate in relation to Janelle and her family (and yes, I realise it's fiction but some of it is reprehensible). I read an excellent book by Roger Maynard about the case many years ago - highly recommended. To say I have been left traumatised, bewildered and shaken up after reading this book is very much an understatement. If you find the following topics triggering, I suggest you stay well clear of this book: murder, rape (as well as consensual sexual violence), incest, violence, misogyny, the list goes on. Several times while reading the book I thought to myself, 'surely they're not going to go THERE?' and invariably in the next few pages, it did. I really truly hope Janelle's parents, family, friends do not read this book. They would be horrified to read how their daughter/relative/friend has been depicted, albeit in a fictional manner.
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February 6, 2023I’d give this 7 stars if I could.
The author creates character and dialogue SO WELL. These people are real humans. They’ll make you laugh and gasp and cringe and cry. And lurking beneath, urging you through, an incredible eerie plot. Give it all the awards!
The author creates character and dialogue SO WELL. These people are real humans. They’ll make you laugh and gasp and cringe and cry. And lurking beneath, urging you through, an incredible eerie plot. Give it all the awards!
December 8, 2021
I have just finished this crime fiction, with is based in grim reality. THE NEWCOMER started really well, it had promise as a fiction based on a true story - something I've not read much of before, but unfortunately, for me, it was slightly underwhelming in it's execution. That said, I still very much enjoyed it, I was just hoping for more.
Paulina is not a likeable character - which is the point I think. We are meant to think she's a bad person and her death was ultimately inevitable, but she still didn't deserve it. It is thought provoking and makes you question your own morality. A book which can get that deep into your thoughts is quite rare and I applaud the author for such a complex narrative.
Judy was a good mum, she was stricken with grief and that was portrayed well throughout the book, so I liked her character a bit more, but she was still quite 'head-in-the-clouds' for me, which was annoying at times.
The whole book seemed to be a character study of these two women. And as we got to know each of them, especially Paulina, we understood more and more about them and how they became who they are today (or were).
A lot of dialogue, so if that's not your thing then be warned. But there was also a lot of scene setting and character development so overall it has balanced itself out nicely.
I found so much happens, but then it feels like nothing happens as well. While we have a murder to deal with we also have all the issues in the flashbacks and side stories. There are loads of little bits throughout the book that the big murder mystery kind of gets lost. Perhaps this was intentional? To say that Paulina's life was so much more than just her death?
I realise this review sounds a little bit negative but honestly it's not. I enjoyed the book. It was complex, moving, and it had a lot going for it. I am very grateful we got a chance to read this for the blog tour, so thank you to Scribe for our gifted copy.
Www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
Paulina is not a likeable character - which is the point I think. We are meant to think she's a bad person and her death was ultimately inevitable, but she still didn't deserve it. It is thought provoking and makes you question your own morality. A book which can get that deep into your thoughts is quite rare and I applaud the author for such a complex narrative.
Judy was a good mum, she was stricken with grief and that was portrayed well throughout the book, so I liked her character a bit more, but she was still quite 'head-in-the-clouds' for me, which was annoying at times.
The whole book seemed to be a character study of these two women. And as we got to know each of them, especially Paulina, we understood more and more about them and how they became who they are today (or were).
A lot of dialogue, so if that's not your thing then be warned. But there was also a lot of scene setting and character development so overall it has balanced itself out nicely.
I found so much happens, but then it feels like nothing happens as well. While we have a murder to deal with we also have all the issues in the flashbacks and side stories. There are loads of little bits throughout the book that the big murder mystery kind of gets lost. Perhaps this was intentional? To say that Paulina's life was so much more than just her death?
I realise this review sounds a little bit negative but honestly it's not. I enjoyed the book. It was complex, moving, and it had a lot going for it. I am very grateful we got a chance to read this for the blog tour, so thank you to Scribe for our gifted copy.
Www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
July 12, 2021
4.42 stars
Enjoyability 9/10
Full review: https://frostawingsit.ca/2021/07/11/t...
I had to adjust my expectations not long into the book. Based on the description, I was expecting a fast-paced, intense thriller. The Newcomer reads more like a contemporary/character study. The mystery is there, but the focus is on the victim and her mother’s grief. The characters were so well-drawn, and the atmosphere was so compelling that I had no problem adjusting my expectations and enjoying the book.
Even though it is not typically what I go for, Woollett’s prose is stunning. The focus of the book is Paulina, the victim, and her mess of a life. She is such an interesting character - not likable at all, but at the same time so vulnerable and sad. If I am honest, though, I wish that the focus on the murdered had been more significant.
I fell in love with the way Woollett described Fairfolk and its inhabitants. I knew nothing about life in small Australian Islands, and the way Woollett described the setting and the culture of the place was so vivid, it felt tangible.
Enjoyability 9/10
Full review: https://frostawingsit.ca/2021/07/11/t...
I had to adjust my expectations not long into the book. Based on the description, I was expecting a fast-paced, intense thriller. The Newcomer reads more like a contemporary/character study. The mystery is there, but the focus is on the victim and her mother’s grief. The characters were so well-drawn, and the atmosphere was so compelling that I had no problem adjusting my expectations and enjoying the book.
Even though it is not typically what I go for, Woollett’s prose is stunning. The focus of the book is Paulina, the victim, and her mess of a life. She is such an interesting character - not likable at all, but at the same time so vulnerable and sad. If I am honest, though, I wish that the focus on the murdered had been more significant.
I fell in love with the way Woollett described Fairfolk and its inhabitants. I knew nothing about life in small Australian Islands, and the way Woollett described the setting and the culture of the place was so vivid, it felt tangible.
June 11, 2021
Set on a tiny Australian island in the South Pacific ocean, this is a thriller based on the death of a hard drinking, party girl called Paulina. Paulina, who is just turning 30, has swapped a boring office job in Sydney for island life. Based on Norfolk Island, the island she now calls home is known for its pine trees, sandy beaches and jagged cliffs. Paulina has a serious drink problem and also a tendency to meet the very worst types of men, cue the stereotypes! She picks up occasional work in the local restaurant and store. When she is found bludgeoned to death, every man on the island becomes a potential suspect. Paulina, despite being the victim, is the central character in this novel about her own murder. The narrative switches from Paulina before she died, to that of her mother, Judy Novak, who is determined to find out who murdered her daughter.
I really, really did not like this book. There was nothing appealing about any of the characters. Paulina was very two-dimensional and lacked both empathy and depth. I’m not a prude but I found the language was gratuitously coarse and vulgar. The book was about 100 pages too long. There was a lot of banter between Paulina and her friends that offered very little by way of plot development. It was all very grim and very slooooow with zero suspense. I love a good thriller that keeps the reader hooked, but unfortunately this is not one of them. I got bored ¾ of the way through and sped-read to the end. This book may appeal to many, but just not to me. I wish the author the very best with her publication.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @scribe_uk for this e-book in return for my honest opinion
I really, really did not like this book. There was nothing appealing about any of the characters. Paulina was very two-dimensional and lacked both empathy and depth. I’m not a prude but I found the language was gratuitously coarse and vulgar. The book was about 100 pages too long. There was a lot of banter between Paulina and her friends that offered very little by way of plot development. It was all very grim and very slooooow with zero suspense. I love a good thriller that keeps the reader hooked, but unfortunately this is not one of them. I got bored ¾ of the way through and sped-read to the end. This book may appeal to many, but just not to me. I wish the author the very best with her publication.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @scribe_uk for this e-book in return for my honest opinion
September 11, 2021
'There was a time of day, just before sunset, when things could go one way or another. When the whole world looked like a diorama, the sky a slow-moving painting, and sometimes felt lucky to be exactly where she was, smoking on her porch, and other times she wanted to take the washing line and knot it around her neck. '
Woollett has a real talent of taking a factual event and creating a fictional narrative from this. Her previous novel 'Beautiful Revolutionary ' is a take on a young married woman getting drawn into Jim Jones People's temple. And her short story collection, 'The love of a bad man', is told from the perspective of the women who get involved with men who become famous for their future destructive actions.
In 'the Newcomer' we go to Norfolk Island a small island in the south pacific were the locals felt so safe, no one locked their doors. In 2002, this community was rocked by a murder, the 1st since 1893.
This novel is told from 2 different perspectives which weave together brilliantly.
We 1st meet Judy Novak who has come to Norfolk Island to visit her daughter Paulina. Judy is left waiting for Paulina, frustration becomes anger than transforms into fear which is soon realised.
Paulina is looking for change and through a series of events decides to move to Norfolk Island for a new start.
Both narratives move forward from these starting points.
Despite Paulina's complexity their is something beguilingly vulnerable about her. Woollett reveals the manipulation and objectification of a patriarchy society on a young woman who is essentially looking for love and belonging. It gives the victim a clear narrative and a powerful voice that allows the reader to comprehend the flaws of a shared humanity and the colour of her life.
Woollett has a real talent of taking a factual event and creating a fictional narrative from this. Her previous novel 'Beautiful Revolutionary ' is a take on a young married woman getting drawn into Jim Jones People's temple. And her short story collection, 'The love of a bad man', is told from the perspective of the women who get involved with men who become famous for their future destructive actions.
In 'the Newcomer' we go to Norfolk Island a small island in the south pacific were the locals felt so safe, no one locked their doors. In 2002, this community was rocked by a murder, the 1st since 1893.
This novel is told from 2 different perspectives which weave together brilliantly.
We 1st meet Judy Novak who has come to Norfolk Island to visit her daughter Paulina. Judy is left waiting for Paulina, frustration becomes anger than transforms into fear which is soon realised.
Paulina is looking for change and through a series of events decides to move to Norfolk Island for a new start.
Both narratives move forward from these starting points.
Despite Paulina's complexity their is something beguilingly vulnerable about her. Woollett reveals the manipulation and objectification of a patriarchy society on a young woman who is essentially looking for love and belonging. It gives the victim a clear narrative and a powerful voice that allows the reader to comprehend the flaws of a shared humanity and the colour of her life.
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May 20, 2021Unlike many crime novels, the victim sits at the heart of The Newcomer. Woollett shows deep empathy for her characters, while delivering an immersive, utterly gripping story.
Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera
Laura Elizabeth Woollett has done it again. The Newcomer pulls you in from its eerie opening and drags you along with intriguing characters and beautifully wrought prose. As the mystery deepens, you begin to realise things are never clear-cut, and everybody is guilty of something. A cautionary tale inspired by true events by one of my favourite authors. Read this book now.
JP Pomare, author of Call Me Evie
The Newcomer is a dark and disturbing novel, speaking to some of the most troubling aspects of contemporary Australian society. As in Beautiful Revolutionary, Woollett’s prose is delicate and brutal in equal measure, offering an intimate portrait of a small and tight-knit community. With a fast-paced narrative and a complex central character, this is a searing exploration of sexual violence and victimhood, taking forward important conversations within our national psyche.
Catherine Noske, author of The Salt Madonna
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is my kind of writer — fearless, incisive, and darkly poetic. The Newcomer is by turns tragic, funny, sinister, and completely riveting.
David Whish-Wilson, author of Shore Leave
Intriguing and touching, The Newcomer is a new kind of crime novel.
Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain
Woollett is a dexterous storyteller — she has a keen sense of place and dialogue, evoking a Kath & Kim-esque fish-out-of-water story as she illustrates the relationships between Fairfolk Island’s many locals and Paulina, a “mainie” who is as strange to them as they are to her.
Books+Publishing
Intensely chilling and sucker-punch powerful, The Newcomer is a murder mystery, but not as you know it. With a seamless blend of electric prose, simmering tension, and a deeply evocative setting, Woollett sharpens her focus on the humanity of the victim rather than the identity of the killer. The small-town intrigue sets your heart pounding — but it’s the characters, so nuanced and vivid you can almost reach out and touch them, who make it bleed. They pull you into their world from the first page and stay with you long after you’ve turned the last, forcing you to consider the stories of those who often go unnamed or unnoticed in the wake of violence and tragedy. The result is a crime novel that, like its protagonist, throws out the rule book and blazes its own dark and unforgettable trail.
Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera
Laura Elizabeth Woollett has done it again. The Newcomer pulls you in from its eerie opening and drags you along with intriguing characters and beautifully wrought prose. As the mystery deepens, you begin to realise things are never clear-cut, and everybody is guilty of something. A cautionary tale inspired by true events by one of my favourite authors. Read this book now.
JP Pomare, author of Call Me Evie
The Newcomer is a dark and disturbing novel, speaking to some of the most troubling aspects of contemporary Australian society. As in Beautiful Revolutionary, Woollett’s prose is delicate and brutal in equal measure, offering an intimate portrait of a small and tight-knit community. With a fast-paced narrative and a complex central character, this is a searing exploration of sexual violence and victimhood, taking forward important conversations within our national psyche.
Catherine Noske, author of The Salt Madonna
Laura Elizabeth Woollett is my kind of writer — fearless, incisive, and darkly poetic. The Newcomer is by turns tragic, funny, sinister, and completely riveting.
David Whish-Wilson, author of Shore Leave
Intriguing and touching, The Newcomer is a new kind of crime novel.
Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain
Woollett is a dexterous storyteller — she has a keen sense of place and dialogue, evoking a Kath & Kim-esque fish-out-of-water story as she illustrates the relationships between Fairfolk Island’s many locals and Paulina, a “mainie” who is as strange to them as they are to her.
Books+Publishing
Intensely chilling and sucker-punch powerful, The Newcomer is a murder mystery, but not as you know it. With a seamless blend of electric prose, simmering tension, and a deeply evocative setting, Woollett sharpens her focus on the humanity of the victim rather than the identity of the killer. The small-town intrigue sets your heart pounding — but it’s the characters, so nuanced and vivid you can almost reach out and touch them, who make it bleed. They pull you into their world from the first page and stay with you long after you’ve turned the last, forcing you to consider the stories of those who often go unnamed or unnoticed in the wake of violence and tragedy. The result is a crime novel that, like its protagonist, throws out the rule book and blazes its own dark and unforgettable trail.
Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
August 27, 2021
2.5 really, and should have been 80 pages shorter.
I will acknowledge that, as with Beautiful Revolutionaries, the author is able to construct a compelling enough narrative despite the protagonists being completely unlikeable. In this instance - and this is not a spoiler - having the principal character murdered by the end of Chapter 1 was a successful structural approach. Who hated her most? So many candidates. Readers looking for a clear-cut murder mystery will be disappointed though as the seeming end to a search for the killer leaves more questions than answers.
I will acknowledge that, as with Beautiful Revolutionaries, the author is able to construct a compelling enough narrative despite the protagonists being completely unlikeable. In this instance - and this is not a spoiler - having the principal character murdered by the end of Chapter 1 was a successful structural approach. Who hated her most? So many candidates. Readers looking for a clear-cut murder mystery will be disappointed though as the seeming end to a search for the killer leaves more questions than answers.
July 12, 2021
Had me hooked from the start, Paulina’s messy life is heartbreakingly real and sad yet you can’t tear yourself away. Enjoy, highly recommend
December 26, 2021
Quite a difficult book to read as the characters were not likable. I enjoyed parts of it, had to skim read most. Overall, it would appeal to some readers.
February 8, 2023
Oh, Paulina. Another outstanding read from Laura Elizabeth Woollett, she is becoming another of my must-read Australian authors. I love what she does with her narratives and I’m compelled by her prose.
Yes the character of the victim, Paulina, is deeply problematic and unlikeable, but I couldn’t help but feel for her. She was so trapped in what was clearly a personality disorder and alcoholism that she became the way she was. Her mother Judy’s story was extremely sad as well. Just a sorry tale, but a brilliantly told one.
Yes the character of the victim, Paulina, is deeply problematic and unlikeable, but I couldn’t help but feel for her. She was so trapped in what was clearly a personality disorder and alcoholism that she became the way she was. Her mother Judy’s story was extremely sad as well. Just a sorry tale, but a brilliantly told one.
July 27, 2021
I just couldn’t get into it and having met Janelle Patton I feel betrayed by the characterisation of Paulina, because no matter how much the author says it’s a work of fiction it roughly mirrors her murder and it’s irresponsible to me, it would be traumatic to her mum and reckless indifference to all victims of crime being skewed towards victim blaming through her characterisations - If I could have given it no stars I would have
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