Where The Trees Were
Published on 26. April 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-7336-3785-8 (ISBN)
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE AWARD FOR FICTION 2017 LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2017 'All in?' Kieran pulled me up, and the others followed. We gathered around the bigger tree. No one asked Matty - he just reached up and put his right hand on the trunk with ours. Kieran cleared his throat. 'We swear, on these trees, to always be friends. To protect each other - and this place.' Finding those carved trees forged a bond between Jay and her four childhood friends and opened their eyes to a wider world. But their attempt to protect the grove ends in disaster, and that one day on the river changes their lives forever. Seventeen years later, Jay finally has her chance to make amends. But at what cost? Not every wrong can be put right, but sometimes looking the other way is no longer an option. 'an entrancing novel from a powerful new voice in Australian literature' - THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY - APRIL 2016 AWW GREAT READ
Reviews / Votes
a poignant and page-turning story that touches on important themes of cultural appropriation and the lasting emotional repercussions of innocent childhood acts * Bookseller + Publisher * Another brilliant and poetic novel from a spectacular Australian writer. 10/10 * hittheroadjacq * Its signal virtue is the delicacy and tact with which it approaches such issues. * The Australian * Book of the week * Sunday Life, Fairfax Papers * Simpson wanted to create a subtle message about indigenous culture in her art-inspired novel. * Courier Mail * Engaging, thought-provoking and, most of all, makes you want to head out on a wild camping trip and embrace nature. * Australian Women's Weekly * This is an exceptional book that can be read on many levels; a coming of age story of the children in this book, the coming of age of Australia. * Reading, Writing and Reisling * A beautiful meditation on friendship and making amends * Who Weekly * Where The Trees Were, takes us from the innocence of youth to the murky greys of adulthood is an enlightening, beautifully written journey * Riverine Herald * A poignant and page-turning story that touches on important themes of cultural appropriation and the lasting emotional repercussions of innocent childhood acts. * Books + Publishing * One disastrous day at the river changes everything, and 17 years later Jay tries to make amends. * Sunshine Coast Daily * Inga Simpson's novel melds her loves of Indigenous heritage, nature and art heists with a clever historical touch * Courier Mail * One disastrous day at the river changes everything, and 17 years later Jay tries to make amends. * Northern Star, Queensland Times, Daily Mercury, Toowoomba Chronicle, Morning Bulletin, Fraser Coast Chronicle, Gladstone Observer, News Mail, Coffs Coast Advocate * Simpson artfully inserts fragments of Australian history that connect this novel to a bigger picture, even though its realm seems familial and domestic. * Townsville Bulletin, Weekend Post * excellent third novel * Canberra Times, Sydney Morning Herald * I read this book in one sitting and hung on to every detail about what might happen. * Planet Books * Simpson keeps the intrigue bubbling along, but her writing is strongest when immersed in the past. * Big Issue Australia * Shortlisted for the Courier Mail People's Choice Award, the ALS Gold Medal, and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Stella Prize. * Nambour Weekly * Paths of our lives are imagined with a notable intelligence and sympathy. * The Saturday Age * Atmospheric and absorbing, this coming-of-age story explores the problems that can arise when making amends with the past. * Sun Herald, Sunday Age * Inga Simpson's passion for the land, nature and a special sense of place is palpable and shines through every page of this engrossing third novel * Australian Women's Weekly * It touches the heavy issues at its heart with light fingers, and is all the more effective for it. * Weekend Australian * Under Simpson's confident direction these memories are not so much perfectly preserved, as perfectly rendered. * Big Issue Australia * New Materials display - Grenfell Public Library * Grenfell Record & Bland Advertiser *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Sydney
Australia
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 126 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-7336-3785-8 (9780733637858)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Inga Simpson
Where The Trees Were
E-Book
03/2016
1st Edition
Hachette Australia
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Inga Simpson began her career as a professional writer for government before gaining a PhD in creative writing. In 2011, she took part in the Queensland Writers Centre Manuscript Development Program and, as a result, Hachette Australia published her first novel, MR WIGG, in 2013. NEST, Inga's second novel, was published in 2014, before being longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Stella Prize, and shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal. Inga's third novel, the acclaimed Where the Trees Were, was published in 2016. Inga won the final Eric Rolls Prize for her nature writing and recently completed a second PhD, exploring the history of Australian nature writers. Inga's memoir about her love of Australian nature and life with trees, UNDERSTORY, will be published in June 2017.