Mark Brandi – författare

I heard voices talking last night. I've never heard my father talk to someone else. Not that I can remember. I was in bed, and I heard my father's voice first. He was talking to someone, and then I heard another man with a deep voice. The man got angry, I could tell, even though I couldn't hear exactly what he was saying. Then my father said, 'I'd kill you first.' On his eleventh birthday, Jacob's father gives him a diary. To write about things that happen. About what he and his father do on their farm. About the sheep, the crop, the fox and the dam. But Jacob knows some things should not be written down. Some things should not be remembered.The only things he knows for sure are what his father has taught him. Sheltered, protected, isolated. But who is his father protecting him from? And how far will his father go to keep the world at bay?All too soon, Jacob will learn that, sometimes, people do the most terrible things.From the bestselling author of WIMMERA and THE RIP comes an unforgettable novel that explores the darkness in our world with the light only a child can find.

We always listen out for the train when we're down in the cutting because sometimes they come quicker than you expect. There aren't as many trains as there used to be. Mostly just the freight ones, like the one that nearly killed us on the bus . . . The best train is the Southern Aurora. It goes all the way from Melbourne to Sydney, and from Sydney to Melbourne. It stops in Mittigunda because we're pretty much exactly halfway between.'Jimmy is a kid growing up fast on the poorest street in town. He tries to do everything right and look out for his mum and his younger brother. His older brother is in jail, so it's up to Jimmy to hold things together. But small-town life is unforgiving if you're from the other side of the tracks.If only his mum didn't drink so much.If only he could win the school billycart race.If only his best friend understood.If only he could stop his mum's boyfriend from getting angry.If only he was there.Jimmy soon learns that even when you get things right, everything can still go wrong.'If you only read one Australian fiction book this year, let it be this one' Samuel Johnson'Evocative and authentic, Brandi has created a world filled with equal parts hope and dread. Southern Aurora is a special book' Sarah Bailey'Another quietly riveting, emotionally potent novel from Mark Brandi' The Age'The master of small-town dread' Canberra Times'Heart-wrenching' The Australian Women's Weekly'Another page-turner' Who Weekly'Mark Brandi has delivered a protagonist that could well become one of Australia's classic characters. There's a Mark Twain innocence and inner wisdom to Jimmy, one far beyond most adults' Weekend Australian'Brandi's poignant and deceptively uncomplicated tale pulses with foreboding - but also hope' Courier Mail'Unforgettable and unsurpassable . . . Brandi's observations are breathtakingly original and his insights are astute. Southern Aurora tackles issues with a purity that's as rare as it is precious' Better Reading'A beautiful and deeply affecting book . . . Mark Brandi proves himself a master raconteur, in a work characterised by gentle humour, perceptiveness and kindness' Living Arts Canberra'A powerful and deeply moving portrayal of a sensitive, vulnerable boy battling against the odds for a happy life' Brisbane Times'Moving and well-crafted' AU Review

From the bestselling author of Wimmera comes a compelling literary thriller that shows we all have secrets, but some are deadlier than others.Big city. Deadly secrets.Cities are tough when you've grown up as a country kid. They're even tougher after nine years inside. Tom Blackburn is fresh out of jail and not sure where his future lies. He knows what he wants. But he's pretty sure she doesn't want him. Tom's left his old life and his old name behind. But his options aren't great. He knows sleeping on the streets is the quickest way back to a cell. And then, his luck turns around. A chance encounter leads to a job and somewhere to stay. A place in the dead centre of Melbourne. Eden, his new boss calls it.Honest, physical work. Bit of gardening, bit of gravedigging, bit of whatever he's told to do. Fresh air, currawongs, a bed and some peace and quiet. It's the perfect place to save some money and make some plans. A place to keep his head down and stay out of trouble.But trouble finds him. Serious trouble. He's missed the signs, again. Going back to jail might be the safest option. Unless he can figure some way out of the danger he's in . . . From much-loved Australian crime author Mark Brandi comes a gripping new story that answers old questions.'Mark Brandi's writing sings. Eden is a vivid portrait of a young life gone awry. Of choices and repercussions . . . and how hard it is to move beyond the past.' MICHAEL BRISSENDEN'Raw and compelling, with a twist you won't see coming. Eden is Brandi at his very best.' MARK SMITH'A captivating exploration of crime and redemption . . . Destined to be a classic' BOOKS+PUBLISHING'An enthralling story with wonderful characters, mystery, moral dilemmas' READINGS'[Brandi] has an unerring eye' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD'Exquisite . . . Eden has all the hallmarks of a great Australian novel' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY'The novel explores gritty social and ethical problems with intelligence and conscience' THE AGE