Crows On The Roof

by Anna Housego

What the eye can’t see can save us

It’s 1980 and in Australia’s hottest town, about as far north as you can go, everyone's running from something. Bec has just rolled in, fleeing a life in pieces, a promising career as a journalist, and a man intent on finding her.

Along the dusty street, an elderly Chinese woman sits in the shade and watches on, certain now that nothing will ever be the same.

Lily turned up decades ago, leaving her own broken world behind. She's come to understand the wildness of this place, and the power of greater forces, the kind you can’t see that run deep, shaping fate.

As the two women are inextricably drawn to each other, they must confront what’s been left behind. Lily must go back to the early 1900s, as an outsider in a country that shunned her, as a wife and mother who lost everything she held dear.

Bec’s reckoning is much closer, though she doesn’t know it yet. The town is isolated, so she risks staying to rest up for a while and gets work at the local pub.

There’s a lot at stake in the mysterious bond that forms between the unlikely pair. Lily might finally get free from the tragedies of her past, while Bec might learn how to save herself.

They’ll need to do it soon. Time is running out for them both.

Suspense in a page-turning story of hidden lives, loss, and the healing that can come from unexpected places when bad things happen.

Crows On The Roof is Anna Housego’s third novel. Also by Anna - One Small Life and The Way To Midnight.

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2022

About the author

Anna is a former journalist, worked in an outback pub in crocodile country, was a political adviser, and a communications consultant.

She grew up in a small wilderness town full of eccentrics and colourful characters and now lives near the Southern Ocean in Tasmania, a small island below the south-eastern corner of Australia. Her two grown-up children and their families are nearby.

She writes character-driven fiction with an historical bent and recently released her fifth book, The Two Wives of Cuddy Ranse. Her debut novel, praised for its gripping story and compelling style, is The Way to Midnight, a 1930s mystery that resonates today. It was inspired by a true family scandal that she researched for almost a decade. Find out what it takes to dig up a family secret, with your free copy of Disgrace: Uncovering a Family Scandal, available at www.annahousego.com

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 3.5* Well written and fantastic story

The author walked the reader through a family's life. The descriptions as to PPD and the strength of a mother felt real. This probably was written from stories heard by those who live Down Under. Anytime. I learn about a culture and strong women/men, I immediately feel a connection.
I would recommend this book to teens and older. I would like to see on the big screen.
Thanks Amazon AI for recommendation.
Well done. I'm going to read another book by Anna Housego.

[Alison Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d never have chosen this book to read, but a friend picked it for our book club. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt the heat of Western Australia, the misogyny of the 1970s and the peace emanating from Lily. The two stories, of Bec and Lily running alongside each other worked well, and their connection was felt even if they didn’t exchange a conversation.

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep, in a very good way

Every Woman should read this book, at it’s core, is not loosing yourself, no matter how much joy, pain, or suffering come your way. Men should read it twice, and then read it again.

[Monnina Garvey]

Loved this book

Probably one of the best books I've read in a long time. Great writing and the story plot was gritty and believable

[Karen E. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept waiting for something more exciting to happen.

[Cath Aitkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My choice of reading material is usually a crime, blood and guts subject matrer. I loved reading this book - the words and style just flowed together so calmly.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad to have read this, thought-provoking novel. Felt the fierce climate ant the struggles of women and Chinese immigrants in Western Australia. Sad but inspiring with captivating prose.

[Ole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read :)

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept trying but I could not finish this book. The author's dry writing style did not make me care about the characters or what happened to them.