Liz Allan – författare

An Observer Best Debut Novelist 2026 Shortlisted for the 2026 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction 'An electric portrait of teenage friendship and fandom, bubbling with rage and yearning . . . empathetic, addictive and feverish as a Nirvana gig'Guardian 'A powerful and evocative debut from a writer of great skill and deeply felt emotion'Observer'Effervescently paced and outrageously funny . . . jaw-dropping'Luke Kennard, author of Black Bag'I loved this book . . . raw, grungy and frenetic'Alice Slater, author of Let the Bad Times Roll'Part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars'Louise Hegarty, author of Fair Play'I was totally absorbed . . . amazing and unlike anything else'Saraid de Silva, author of AmmaIn the town of St Vincent, everyone knows everyone else's business. So when Lily Lucid accuses the beloved high school music teacher Mr P of sexual assault, rumours swirl and lines are drawn. On one side: Lily's former friends - the fiercely loyal girls who immediately set out to prove their teacher's innocence. On the other: all the adults who have already written them off as a lost cause.The girls will stop at nothing to hold onto their dream of escaping their small, run-down town, their desperate mothers and absent fathers - and Lily's accusation threatens it all. But how far out of control can they spin before there's no turning back?

An Observer Best Debut Novelist 2026'I loved this book . . . raw, grungy and frenetic'Alice Slater, author of Let the Bad Times Roll'Part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars'Louise Hegarty, author of Fair Play'Effervescently paced and outrageously funny . . . jaw-dropping'Luke Kennard, author of The Transition'I was totally absorbed . . . amazing and unlike anything else'Saraid de Silva, author of AmmaThe Bastards aren't afraid of anything.It's the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, four girls - each hailing from single-mother, multi-sibling families, form a band: The Bastards. Friends since they were children, they consider themselves 'forgettable girls' - distracted, disillusioned, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers.Winning the Battle of the Bands is their ticket out - they might not have talent, but they can play three chords and scream until their vocal folds burst out of their throats - and nobody wants it more than them.But when lead singer Lily Lucid quits, and accuses their idolized music teacher of sexual assault, the three remaining girls are left with nothing. They'll do anything to keep their dream alive, even if it means sacrificing school, Lily and their mothers. But how far out of control can they spin before there's no turning back?

One of The Observer (London)s Best Debut Novels of 2026 A story of class and coming-of-age as a group of best friends investigates the allegations against their teacher.Its the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, Australia, four Nirvana-obsessed fourteen-year-old girls form a grunge band. The Bastards are forgettable girlspoor, not particularly clever, ridiculed by their better-off classmates, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers, who seem locked into a life of minimum-wage jobs, surprise pregnancies, and drunk boyfriends. The Battle of the Bands is the girls one ticket out. As small-town rumors swirl, however, The Bastards are abandoned by their lead singer Lily Lucid, who accuses their beloved music teacher of assault. The three remaining girls are left with nothing. Nothing, that is, except their amateur detective skills, a conviction that Mr. P is innocent, and a readiness to sacrifice everything to keep their dream alive. Spinning with rage at the confines of their lives, they reach a precipice where theres no turning back. Brash and bold, grungy and propulsive, In Bloom is a coming-of-age novel about class, girlhood in precarious circumstances, and how to build a sense of self when the foundations of friendship fail.

A heartfelt coming-of-age story about a fearless group of best friends investigating the allegations against their teacher and how far they will go to escape the suffocating drudgery of their small town.It’s the mid-nineties, and in the small coastal town of Vincent, Australia, four Nirvana-obsessed fourteen-year-old girls form a grunge band. The Bastards are “forgettable girls”—poor, not particularly clever, ridiculed by their better-off classmates, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers, who seem locked into a life of minimum-wage jobs, surprise pregnancies, and drunk boyfriends. The Battle of the Bands is the girls’ one ticket out. But then The Bastards’s lead singer, Lily Lucid, abruptly quits. Everyone says she got into a white van on Albatross Avenue, with a man in all black. As small-town rumors swirl, Lily accuses their beloved music teacher of assault, and the three remaining girls are left with nothing. Nothing, that is, except their amateur detective skills, a conviction that Mr. P is innocent, and a readiness to sacrifice everything to keep their dream alive. Spinning with rage at the confines of their lives, they reach a precipice where there’s no turning back. Brash and bold, grungy and propulsive, In Bloom is a novel about class and coming-of-age, girlhood in precarious circumstances, and how to build a sense of self when the foundations of friendship fail.