“One looks on in horrified fascination as lies and misunderstandings work their way through a family and a small community”
Garry Disher, author of Consolation
also by Kimberley Starr:
praise for Torched (released 2020):
a suspenseful crime novel that centres on that too-familiar Australian scenario, the aftermath of a bushfire. It unfolds with vivid characters, a command of pace and considerable psychological realism.
Cameron Woodhead, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 May 2020
a terrific meditation on the meaning of motherhood in the face of misunderstanding, disbelief, outright malice, and intimate deception.
David Whish Wilson, Australian Book Review, May 2020
an abidingly thoughtful rumination on human nature, secrets snd unforeseeable consequences
Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper, 16 May 2020
offers terrifyingly real offering insight…into how our human natures can conflict with and trouble the experience of enduring environmental disaster.
Zoya Patel, The Canberra Times, 25 July 2020
praise for earlier novels:
The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies (UQP 2004)
- Starr does a fine job in nostalgia, evoking mangroves, a meandering river and tropical weather to create a time and place (Di Dempsey, The Courier Mail)
- hats off to a promising debut (Jill Rowbotham, The Weekend Australian)
The Book of Whispers (TEXT Publishing 2016)
- will make the reader think about the futility of war and the ugliness of religious bigotry. (Readplus)
The Map of Night
coming July 2022
“Tense, inexorable and beautifully written.”
Garry Disher, author of Consolation
“unique premise, multilayered characters and clarity of prose”
Kylie Kaden, author of The Day the Lies Began
“Dark Matter pulls light waves into curves, and conceals the true location of everything. It distorts reality.” Astronomer Lucy Rutherford is celebrating the refurbishment of the 100-year-old telescope in the Yarra Valley town of Bowness, Victoria. Her husband, Justin, is running for parliament, on a platform of responsibility and progress. But Lucy isn’t interested in being a politician’s wife. And after twenty years, admittedly some good ones, she plans to leave Justin. Once he’s won the election. Lucy’s biggest concern is how her eleven-year-old daughter, Gabby, will take the news. Or does Gabby already know? She has a habit of listening in on conversations she shouldn’t.
A week before polling day Lucy takes the family dog for a walk and doesn’t return. Justin is convinced Lucy has left him and is angry that she would abandon him so close to the election. Yet Gabby is certain her mother is missing and in trouble. Why isn’t her father looking? As the days go by, tensions rise between Gabby and her father. Desperate to contact her mother, Gabby takes matters into her own hands. On the day of the election Bowness is faced with a decision, and so is each member of the Rutherford family.
about Kimberley:
Kimberley Starr is the Melbourne-based author of Torched (Pantera Press, shortlisted for The Davitt Award for Best Crime Novel), and The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies (UQP, winner of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award, One Book One Brisbane choice for 2005, shortlisted for the Dobbie Literary Award). She also wrote the Young Adult novel The Book Of Whispers, which won the Text Prize. Her writing has appeared in a diverse range of publications including The Griffith Review and The Age. She has degrees in literature and teaches English and Creative Writing.
read about Kimberley online:
- Kimberley wrote a short piece of Memoir for The Griffith Review.
- Kimberley asked When should crime writers talk about climate change? and discussed the importance of place and landscape in her writing for the Sisters in Crime blog.
- Kimberley was interviewed by podcaster Emily Webb for Killer Content, answering questions about how far a mother would go to save her child.
- Kimberley answered Five Quick Questions about Torched for Better Reading.
recent appearances include:
- Chased by your past, Brisbane Writers Festival, Kimberley hosted fellow authors Christian White and Garry Disher in a discussion about unspoken history.
- Burning Issues, Kimberley discussed Australia’s bushfires in literature with fellow authors Chloe Hooper and Leisl Leighton for the Sisters in Crime.
- “The Rap” on Radio RRR Kimberley discussed writing with host Rashelle McHugh and fellow author Fiona Harris, 10 June 2020.
- Published or Not on Radio 3CR discussing writing with host David McLean and fellow author Fiona McIntosh
- The Ties that Bind Us, Brisbane Writers Festival, with fellow authors Kate Mildenhall, Sarah Klenbort and Kirsten Alexander.
Find Kimberley on Facebook or Instagram
Kimberley Starr 