Description
'Exquisitely written and deeply felt ... a true book of wonders' Geraldine Brooks'A lovely, absorbing, and uplifting read.' M.L. Stedman'overflows with gratitude for the hard, beautiful things of this world' Helen Garner.In 1948 in a small town on the land's edge, in the strange space at a war's end, a widow, a poet and a doctor each try to find their own peace, and their own new story.Anikka Lachlan has all she ever wanted--until a random act transforms her into another post-war widow, destined to raise her daughter on her own. Awash in grief, she looks for answers in the pages of her favourite books and tries to learn the most difficult lesson of all: how to go on living.A local poet, Roy McKinnon, who found poetry in the mess of war, has lost his words and his hope. His childhood friend Dr. Frank Draper also seeks to reclaim his pre-war life but is haunted by his failure to help those who needed him most--the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps.Then one day, on the mantle of her sitting room, Ani finds a poem. She knows neither where it came from, nor who its author is. But she has her suspicions. An unexpected and poignant love triangle emerges, between Ani, the poem, and the poet--whoever he may be.Written in clear, shining prose,The Railwayman's Wifeexplores the power of beginnings and endings - and how difficult it can be to tell them apart. It is an exploration of life, tragedy, and joy, of connection and separation, longing and acceptance, and an unadulterated celebration of love.
About the Author
Ashley Hay’s new novel,A Hundred Small Lessons, was published in Australia, the US and the UK and was shortlisted for categories in the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards.Set in her new home city of Brisbane, it traces the intertwined lives of two women from different generations through a story of love, and of life. It takes account of what it means to be mother or daughter; father or son and tells a rich and intimate story of how we feel what it is to be human, and how place can transform who we are.Her previous novel,The Railwayman’s Wife, was published in Australia, the UK, the US, and is heading for translation into Italian, French and Dutch. It won the Colin Roderick Prize (awarded by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies), as well as the People's Choice award in the 2014 NSW Premier's Prize, and was also longlisted for both the Miles Franklin and Nita B. Kibble awards.Her first novel,The Body in the Clouds(2010), was shortlisted for categories in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the NSW and WA premier’s prizes, and longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.Her previous books span fiction and non-fiction and includeGum: The Story of Eucalypts and Their Champions(2002),Museum(2007; with visual artist Robyn Stacey), andBest Australian Science Writing 2014(as editor)sA writer for more than 20 years, her essays and short stories have appeared in volumes including theGriffith Review,Best Australian Essays(2003),Best Australian Short Stories(2012), andBest Australian Science Writing(2012), and have been awarded various accolades in Australia and overseas. In 2016, she received the Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing.
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