The Strays

by Emily Bitto

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date 15 Aug 2016 | Archive Date 15 Aug 2017

Description

‘Remarkable first novel... 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 IMPAC Literary Award
Shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s
Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript
Shortlised for the Dobbie Literary Award
Shortlisted for the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction
Shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Prize for New Writing
Shortlisted for an Amazon Rising Star Award
Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction ‘Academy Recommends’ Read

‘Full of lush, mesmerizing detail’ The New Yorker

‘Emily Bitto writes so well about art, childhood, infatuation, loneliness--you name it. The Strays is a knowing novel, and beautifully done.’ Meg Wolitzer, author of The Interestings

‘An immensely pleasurable read.’ Bookseller + Publisher

‘Emily Bitto has written a very stylish and enjoyable debut novel.’ The Sunday Mail

‘A marvellously accomplished and assured debut... Rich in atmosphere and beautifully observed.’ Caroline Baum, Booktopia

‘Remarkable first novel... 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...

Advance Praise

'Told with impressive intensity' The Guardian

‘Emily Bitto has written a very stylish and enjoyable debut novel.’ The Sunday Mail

‘Treating this novel as a historical fiction risks missing some of its breadth of insight. The Strays is an eloquent portrayal of the damage caused by self-absorption as well as a moving study of isolation.’ The Saturday Age

‘You could lift out any sentence in The Strays and admire the sheer artistry of its melody and composition. What’s especially wonderful about Bitto’s literary novel is the story never feels weighed down by style. It’s an immensely pleasurable read.’ Bookseller + Publisher 4.5 stars

‘Bitto writes beautifully, her prose supple and satisfying, her insights and extended metaphors worth lingering over. Of particular note are her characters’ perceptive comments on art and her visceral understanding of the only child’s ever-unrequited hunger for inclusion – an inclusion that always falls short of the familial, however vexed or careless that familial connection may appear.’ The Adelaide Advertiser

‘The Strays is a marvellously accomplished and assured debut, announcing a major new talent. Rich in atmosphere and beautifully observed.’ Caroline Baum, Booktopia

‘With a skilful use of perspective and memory, and a dual adult–child point of view, Bitto reaches far beyond the well-documented narratives and myths of the Heide players to widen and enrich the notion of the artist as mad or bad or eccentric.’ Kristina Olsson, Readings Monthly

'Told with impressive intensity' The Guardian

‘Emily Bitto has written a very stylish and enjoyable debut novel.’ The Sunday Mail

‘Treating this novel as a historical fiction risks missing some of its...