Nikki Gemmell first conceived of this, her great Australian novel, more than a decade ago. “I was living in London, dreaming of the tall blue skies of home,” she tells The Weekly. “I moved back to Australia in a great rush of thankfulness. But then life crashed spectacularly into the writing process – a new baby arrived alongside several more books and the death of both my parents, which knocked me for six. But my protagonist, Tom, wouldn’t let me go. I returned again and again to her.” This haunting pageturner is the result.
“It’s a historical thriller, a big departure for me,” Nikki says. There are heart-stopping moments and an undercurrent whodunnit that runs through to the final page. But it is the exquisite poetry of Nikki Gemmell’s language that soars.
This story is from the June 2021 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
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This story is from the June 2021 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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