Cheryl Shares Notable Books with The Australian

Cheryl is so thrilled to be sharing some notable reads each week with The Australian. There’s some fabulous books in this week’s edition. See the full list here…

Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie

Kamila Shamsie is the critically acclaimed author of seven novels including Home Fire, which was the winner of the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction and longlisted for the Booker Prize. She rose to prominence as a young Pakistani-born British writer whose talent for writing about her home country and the migrant experience has been widely recognised. Her latest novel, Best of Friends, is a compelling account of what happens to a close childhood friendship over decades of personal and political changes. Shamsie’s exploration of Maryam and Zahra’s relationship deep dives into what makes childhood friendship so formative and impactful. Best of Friends is a stunningly told story that cements Shamsie’s reputation as a leading contemporary novelist.

Buy a copy of Best of Friends here.

In Search of Perfumes by Dominique Roques

Dominique Roques is the head of sourcing at a Swiss company that provides the world’s leading perfume brands with natural fragrances, essences and extracts. In Search of Perfumes is the story of his life, his work, his travels and the scents, fragrances and essences he sources. Part memoir, part travel narrative, mixed with history, science and world events, In Search of Perfumes is an exquisite concoction, as lovely as the fragrances Roques travels the world searching for. Roques takes us to Bulgaria for its rose, Egypt for jasmine, frankincense in Somaliland and to Madagascar for vanilla. He leads a life filled with adventure and interesting people, sharing those stories here. Treat yourself – this is a delight.

Buy a copy of In Search of Perfumes here.

The Accident by Katie McMahon

Katie McMahon’s debut, The Mistake, had her being compared to Liane Moriarty. Those comparisons are bound to continue with the release of her second novel, The Accident. This is a well-written, tightly plotted psychological drama, told from multiple perspectives. McMahon skilfully weaves clues throughout, along with some twists and turns that will have you reading ‘just one more chapter.’ The novel opens with an accident outside a Hobart high school. The reader learns that someone has died, but who, how and why are the questions that drive this story forward with delicious tension. Interspersed throughout the novel are excerpts from a coroner’s report, adding to the creeping dread that builds to the final, explosive reveal.

Buy a copy of The Accident here.

Freeing My Family by Sadam Abdusalam and Michael Bradley

Freeing My Family recounts the heroic efforts of political refugee Sadam Abdusalam and his legal representative, Michael Bradley, to overcome Australian authorities, and the hostility of the Chinese authorities, to rescue his wife Nadila and their small son Lutfi from Xinjiang. This is one father’s fight against everything, from bureaucratic indifference to the very real threat of losing his family forever, to bring them safely to their new home in Australia. Abdusalam’s quest to help his wife and son escape Chinese persecution makes for a gripping read. This is an inspiring refugee story, with a positive outcome. For anyone with children, you’ll hug them tighter after reading this.

Wildlife in the Balance by Simon Mustoe

Simon Mustoe is an ecologist, expeditioner and conservationist. His experience offers both oblique and candid views about our interaction with nature, shared through an online magazine called Wildiaries, which is read by a quarter of a million Australians. His passion is telling the story of interdependence on wildlife. In the past fifty years we’ve killed three quarters of the creatures needed to keep ecosystems healthy and our planet habitable. In Wildlife in the Balance, Mustoe explores the understated role of humans and other animals in planetary ecosystem stability, and why we must act now to ensure both their – and our – survival. This is a compelling read, filled with Mustoe’s own illustrations.

After You Were Gone by Vikki Wakefield

Abbie is in a busy market when she lets go of her daughter Sarah’s hand for just a moment. When she turns around, Sarah is gone. Six years later, she receives a call from someone who claims he knows what happens… This multi-layered suspense thriller moves between chapters titled Now, Before and After, all centring around the pivotal event of Sarah’s abduction. Wakefield incorporates Abbie’s teenage pregnancy and single parenthood into this story, as well as her being riddled with guilt and pain after Sarah’s disappearance. As the novel builds at break-neck speed, you’ll be questioning every character, their motives and even Abbie’s memories. The level of unease and uncertainty that are achieved here are markers of a great thriller.

Buy a copy of After You Were Gone here.