'Neve Ayres has always been so careful. Since her mother’s death when Neve was seven, she’s learned to look after herself and to keep her cards close. But now her deliberately constructed world has collapsed: her partner’s left her when she was eight months pregnant. And so, alone with her newborn son, she’s retreated to her cliff-top holiday house in coastal Flinders.
'There, another child comes into her life.
'The first time Neve sees Jessie, the small girl is playing on an empty stretch of beach. On the cold autumn day, she is bare-legged and alone, while her mother is distracted by her own troubles. At once, almost despite herself, Neve is intrigued and concerned, and Jessie is drawn to Neve’s kindness – and to her home.
'To Neve’s surprise, Jessie becomes an unlikely source of much needed care for her and her baby. Having been lost in the sleepless haze of new motherhood, Neve is touched, and finds herself grappling with how to best help the forgotten girl. She has the spacious house, the full pantry, the resources . . . But how much can you – should you – do for a stranger’s child?
'Beautifully written and emotionally compelling, The Lone Child is about parenting and judgement, loss and love. From the acclaimed author of What Came Before, this is a gripping, atmospheric novel that explores how the desire to mother, and to be mothered, can be overwhelmingly seductive. ' (Publication summary)
For Dad
A beautiful man, who lives on somewhere
A Conversation with Anna George
Jason Austin
(interviewer),
2017
23466795
2017
single work
podcast
interview
'Hear our book buyer Jason Austin in conversation with author Anna George about her new novel, The Lone Child.' (Production summary)
'The Lone Child focusses on character development, imbued with sadness, longing, regret and loss. Following on from her stunning debut novel, What Came Before, Anna George has created another claustrophobic and compelling character study of somebody struggling with the complications of day-to-day life.' (Introduction)
'Anna George’s 2014 debut, What Came Before, is a tense psychological thriller about domestic violence. The title refers to the series of events that precede the opening murder. The believable, flawed characters have their motivations laid out in finely calibrated detail.
'The Lone Child continues the Melbourne writer’s interest in the complicated, self-deluding excuses of victims and perpetrators, It once again shows how strong and confident women can be broken by forces beyond their control.
'In a cliff-top holiday house that she herself designed, nestled in the Victorian coastal ranges, architect Neve Ayres, 39, is slowly unravelling. Once almost too perfect in composure and appearance, she is now rumpled and undone by the unrelenting mews of a colicky newborn.' (Introduction)
'Anna George’s first book was the well-regarded crime thriller What Came Before. Her new novel, The Lone Child, is less criminal and more psychological in focus, but it’s just as thrilling. It’s a story about the effects of motherhood and the moral choices made while under intense psychological pressure.' (Introduction)
'The Lone Child focusses on character development, imbued with sadness, longing, regret and loss. Following on from her stunning debut novel, What Came Before, Anna George has created another claustrophobic and compelling character study of somebody struggling with the complications of day-to-day life.' (Introduction)
'Anna George’s first book was the well-regarded crime thriller What Came Before. Her new novel, The Lone Child, is less criminal and more psychological in focus, but it’s just as thrilling. It’s a story about the effects of motherhood and the moral choices made while under intense psychological pressure.' (Introduction)
'Anna George’s 2014 debut, What Came Before, is a tense psychological thriller about domestic violence. The title refers to the series of events that precede the opening murder. The believable, flawed characters have their motivations laid out in finely calibrated detail.
'The Lone Child continues the Melbourne writer’s interest in the complicated, self-deluding excuses of victims and perpetrators, It once again shows how strong and confident women can be broken by forces beyond their control.
'In a cliff-top holiday house that she herself designed, nestled in the Victorian coastal ranges, architect Neve Ayres, 39, is slowly unravelling. Once almost too perfect in composure and appearance, she is now rumpled and undone by the unrelenting mews of a colicky newborn.' (Introduction)
A Conversation with Anna George
Jason Austin
(interviewer),
2017
23466795
2017
single work
podcast
interview
'Hear our book buyer Jason Austin in conversation with author Anna George about her new novel, The Lone Child.' (Production summary)
