Giles Field

This wonderful book is the story of two sisters Lot and Nelly, bonded through tragedy, yet written with humour and lightness of touch. A novel set partially on a silent retreat in Tasmania, with characters who need to be there but can’t. It was the book I needed, serendipity writ large. ‘Heartsease’ is meticulously realised, there is not a word out of place. Kate Kruimink makes observations that would make the the most viral Twitter user proud, but fires them at you page after page. The cumulative effect, along with a narrative about the deep things in life (growing up, femininity, chaos, death) means you have one my favourite books ever, instantly. Will you like it? Hard to say. You’re probably not asexual, and prone to psychosis and have a yearning for local references. But just maybe the idea of ‘growing up troubled’ is ultra universal, and it’ll be part of your own changing day. At the very least, if the chaotic world conspires to dangle it in front of you, you can go ‘Huh, that was the book Giles was banging on about’. From then on it’s up to you to change your own story. Yes, it’s that good.