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ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Muriel Kemp was an infamous artist living and working in poverty in the Surry Hills of the Depression era. She died in mysterious circumstances in 1936, leaving behind an ouvre of unsettling portaits and studies that the establishment loathed. In 1992 a Wollongong nurse, Jane Cooper, comes into contact with an old harpy of a neighbour, who claims she is Muriel Kemp, and wants Jane to write her biography. Jane is repulsed and attracted in equal measure, and as Muriel tells her edited version of her life and times, the narrative switches to the past to tell another piece of her story. An evocative and deeply researched novel which recreates the grime and Bohemian glamour of the 20s and 30s, but also catches coastal city life of the 90s equally well. Lindy Jones
Julie Keys lives in the Illawarra region on the NSW south coast. Her short stories have been published across a range of Australian journals. Julie has worked as a tutor, a Registered Nurse, in positions related to youth homelessness and as a clinical trials co-ordinator. She is now studying a PhD in creative arts at the University of Wollongong and writing full-time. Her debut novel, The Artist's Portrait, was shortlisted for The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers in 2017.
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Muriel Kemp was an infamous artist living and working in poverty in the Surry Hills of the Depression era. She died in mysterious circumstances in 1936, leaving behind an ouvre of unsettling portaits and studies that the establishment loathed. In 1992 a Wollongong nurse, Jane Cooper, comes into contact with an old harpy of a neighbour, who claims she is Muriel Kemp, and wants Jane to write her biography. Jane is repulsed and attracted in equal measure, and as Muriel tells her edited version of her life and times, the narrative switches to the past to tell another piece of her story. An evocative and deeply researched novel which recreates the grime and Bohemian glamour of the 20s and 30s, but also catches coastal city life of the 90s equally well. Lindy Jones
A compelling new voice in Australian fiction. A story that deserves to be told. I couldn't put it down. - Nikki Gemmell, award-winning and bestselling author 'this novel is intriguing, evocative and had me catching my breath' - Joanna Nell, author of The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village
