The Strays

vividly written, almost painterly’ The New York Times Book Review On her first day at a new school, Lily befriends one of the daughters of infamous painter Evan Trentham. He and his wife are trying to escape the conservatism of 1930s Australia by inviting other like-minded artists to live at their home. Lily becomes infatuated with this wild, bohemian lifestyle and longs to truly be a part of the family. But as the years pass, Lily observes the way the lives of these artists come to reflect their art. Yet it’s not Evan, but his own daughters, who pay the price for his radicalism. Almost 30 years later, Lily contemplates the ordinary path her own life took, how she has played it safe, but does freedom come at a cost? Shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown 2017 Winner of the Stella Prize 2015 Winner of the Tina Kane Emergent Writers Award University of Canberra ‘Book of the Year’ 2016 Longlisted for the Dublin