Cirrus@Austlit

'Raised by her severe parents in a punitive and authoritarian church, Ellen Wells is entirely unprepared for life in the modern world. When things become intolerable at home, she escapes and, striking out on her own, makes a completely new start.

'Ellen lands a job as a teacher in a girls' school and gradually finds peace in that community and in her solitary life. To begin with, she is painfully shy, but when she meets Gordon, a fellow teacher, she responds with curiosity and, before long, pleasure. Gordon is kind and caring and their friendship slowly turns into a deep and fulfilling love, the kind Ellen never dreamed she would share. When she and Gordon marry, her parents decry their union, making her split from them absolute. But Gordon's mother and sister joyously welcome her to their family, and Ellen's quiet life is transformed into one filled with connection, love and laughter.

'Three years later, a knock on the door changes everything. Two police officers have come to interrogate Gordon about a shocking crime. In an instant, Ellen's perfect life unravels.

'Refusing to believe the allegations levelled against her husband, Ellen finds herself abandoned by all but her mother-in-law. In a world of swirling suspicion and accusations, Ellen will need to fight to prove her husband's innocence. But what will that cost her? And what will she discover about him along the way?

'A propulsive and provocative novel about love, faith and courage from the bestselling author of The Teacher's Secret.'(Publication summary)

'Yearning to escape the new family he never wanted, thirteen-year-old Leo Arnold is transported to wartime Europe where he must draw on his courage to save himself and those around him.

'From award-winning author Suzanne Leal comes a gripping timeslip novel inspired by true stories.

'Thirteen-year-old Leo Arnold hates his life. He doesn't want a new school, a new house or a new family. And he definitely doesn't want to be sharing a room with his new stepbrother, Cooper.

'What Leo wants is to be somewhere else, far away. So when he uncovers an old music box and turns the key, he is astonished to find himself in Prague, surrounded by whispers and fears of a second world war. A war that ended decades ago.

'In Prague, Leo meets Ivan, a Czech boy, and the two become friends. But when World War Two finally erupts, the unimaginable becomes real and the boys are imprisoned. Fearing the worst, Leo and Ivan frantically search for an escape. A search that sends them running.

'Running against time.

'Running for their lives.'  (Publication summary)

Born in Italy, raised in country Victoria and with a background in criminal justice, Mark Brandi first came to attention with his debut novel, Wimmera. It was a story of friendship, danger and toxic masculinity for which he won the British Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award and the best debut prize at the Australian Indie Book Awards.' (Introduction)

'In 1943, a young woman is taken to a Jewish ghetto outside Prague where one of the guards - a Czech gendarme - is quickly drawn to her. Believing he will offer her protection, Hana reluctantly accepts Karel's advances only to find herself alone and abandoned in Auschwitz. Decades later, Karel carries his regrets to Sydney where he and his family try to make a new life for themselves.

'Despite her devotion to the family, Karel's wife is a troubled woman, haunted by a secret that will not leave her as the consequences of her actions as a young woman continue to reverberate both within her family and further afield. Meanwhile, the couple's daughter is still reeling from her husband's infidelities as, unbeknownst to any of them, their cherished granddaughter becomes more and more entangled with her married boss.

'Outwardly harmonious, this is a fractured family whose lives are built on foundations of lies and deceptions - foundations that threaten to completely collapse as old transgressions re-emerge in the lead up to a long-awaited family wedding. Inspired by a true story of wartime betrayal, The Deceptions is a searing, compassionate tale of love and regret within a family whose secrets might better be left alone.' (Publication summary)

'In The Orchardist’s Daughter — the fourth novel for Canberra-based writer and veterinarian Karen Viggers — we find ourselves in a small timber town in southern Tasmania. Tasmania is also the setting for Viggers’s second novel, The Lightkeeper’s Wife, which made her a literary sensation in France, with more than 500,000 copies sold.' (Introduction) 

'A popular teacher with something to hide.

'A new principal determined to uncover the truth.

'A young mother, suddenly single, who struggles to rebuild her life.

'A grieving daughter who must learn to face the world again.

'A family forced to flee their homeland and start afresh.

'A small town can be a refuge, but while its secrets are held, it's hard to know who to trust and what to believe.

'The Teacher's Secret is a tender and compelling story of scandal, rumour and dislocation, and the search for grace and dignity in the midst of dishonour and humiliation.' (Publication summary)