Ghost River

Now in B format, this stunning, prize-winning novel, set alongside the Yarra River, is heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure. 'Stories of the river were told across the city. There wasn’ t a child living within reach of the water who hadn’ t grown up warned away from it with tales of dead trees lurking in the darkness of the muddy riverbed, ready to snatch the leg of a boy or girl braving its filthy water.' The river is a place of history and secrets. For Ren and Sonny, two unlikely friends, it’ s a place of freedom and adventure. For a group of storytelling vagrants, it’ s a refuge. And for the isolated daughter of a cult reverend, it’ s an escape. Each time they visit, another secret slips into its ancient waters. But change and trouble are coming – to the river and to the lives of those who love it. Who will have the courage to fight and what will be the cost?

Tony Birch is the author of four novels, five short fiction collections, and two poetry books. In 2022 his book, Dark As Last Night was awarded the Christina Stead Literary Prize and the Steele Rudd Literary Award. The book was also shortlisted for the 2022 Prime Minister’ s Literary Award for fiction. His most recent book is the novel, Women and Children, (UQP 2023).