Sally Hepworth’s—Mad Mabel

Elsie’s childhood in Australia is riddled with jeering and bullying at school. At home, she keeps her nose in a book but she can’t always avoid her father’s hateful gaze and her mother’s often indifference. At eighty-one, she hides her earlier life by living quietly and unnoticed, but her notorious past has a way of creeping up on her. When her neighbour with an annoying dog dies and she discovers his corpse on the floor of his house, eyes of suspicion turn on her and Elsie suspects it’s her neighbour Joan, who has informed the police who she is.

Will she be able to escape the murderous image painted about her in the past or will the taunts return to haunt her remaining years?

Charlotte McConaghy’s—Wild dark shore

Dom and his children Raff, Fen and Orly live on remote Shearwater Island, halfway from Australia and Antarctica. With climate change resulting in more fires, violent storms and the sea level rising with islands already submerged, they are responsible for the upkeep of a seed bank that will supply the world with food. Fen rescues a woman tangled in kelp and Dom discovers her wrecked craft and dead skipper on the other side of the island. When Rowan recovers from near death, she grows suspicious of Dom who is vague about the whereabouts of her husband. Likewise, Dom grows wary of her as she has not revealed that she’s come for her husband. Who is responsible for his disappearance?

Mieko Kawakami’s—Sisters in yellow

Hana is a teenager determined to escape her hand to mouth existence while living with her often absent mother in a small apartment in a Tokyo suburb. When not at school, she works in a local restaurant saving her earnings. But when one of her mother’s boyfriends steals her savings, she is devastated until she runs into her mother’s friend Kimiko whom she remembers from earlier, who befriended her. Hana moves to another part of Tokyo where Kimiko opens a bar. Although underage, Hana works hard and drinks hard to make a successful life with Kimiko. Hana befriends clients while working, pays the bills and saves the profits. Life is looking up with Kimiko and her living in a small apartment, but everything is about to change.

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Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s—Sister of my heart

Although Anju and Sunda are cousins, they grow up in the same Calcutta household. Sunda’s father is full of money-making schemes while Anju’s father supports them financially. The fathers set out on a journey to a ruby cave, but never return, leaving a house full of women to fend for themselves. Both cousins had dreams of attending college, but as money grows scarce their hopes become a pipe dream.

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