Talking Aussie Books with Maryrose Cuskelly

Listeners I last spoke to my next guest, Maryrose Cuskelly, when her debut novel ‘The Cane’ was published by Allen & Unwin back in 2022. "The Cane" was an atmospheric crime novel set in a fictional sugarcane town in North Queensland in the 1970s. A terrific story reminiscent of 'The Dry' and other Australian rural and outback noir, that became an Australian bestseller and was later shortlisted for a Davitt Award in 2023. Recently, Maryrose’s second novel ‘The Campers’ was released. And listeners, this novel is just as good - if not better - than 'The Cane' in my humble opinion. Nail-bitingly tense and atmospheric, 'The Campers' takes us into some uncomfortable territory. A social commentary novel that forces us to examine a society in crisis at a micro level and leaves us questioning what we would do in the same situation. Told through the eyes of a middle-class woman - a wife and mother - facing her own personal crises, we witness a community whose fabric is severely challenged by the arrival of the itinerant campers. Another stunning read from Maryrose that left me unsettled and yet inspired at the same time. I was thrilled to welcome Maryrose back to the podcast recently.