By Katrina RoeWednesday 13 Apr 2022Hope Book ClubEntertainmentReading Time: 1 minute
In episode 38 of the Hope Book Club we’re delving into new Australian fiction.
Devotion is the new novel from bestselling Australian author Hannah Kent. It’s about a Prussian family who relocate to South Australia to escape religious persecution, but it’s also about a young Lutheran girl growing up and trying to understand herself.
The Shut-Ins by Katherine Brabon is about a young adult called Hikaru who spends all his time at home alone in his room. Set in Japan, the novel explains the growing phenomenon of hikikomori – people who never leave their home. When Hikaru’s mother hires a companion to coax him out, she finds herself questioning the expectations and values she feels compelled to live by.
The Paris Secret, by Natasha Lester, is a World War Two romance about a feisty pilot named Skye Penrose and her childhood friend, Nicholas. Skye and her friends in the Air Transport Auxiliary take their lives into their hands delivering aircraft for the RAF. Meanwhile, in modern day Australia, fashion conservator Kat is trying to solve the mystery of her grandmother’s secret stash of priceless Christian Dior gowns.
Plus our reviewers discuss the difficult decision of how to cut back your book collection when it’s time to move house.
That’s all in Episode 38 of the Hope Book Club – Because Life’s Just Better with a Book!