The Keepers

This daring and dazzling debut shines a light on the unsung heroes of our communities: the carers. Jay is devoted to the care of her teenage twins who view the world as differently as it views them. Frank is sweet, sensitive and bullied, while whip-smart Teddy needs an iPad to speak. With an absent husband and battling a nightmare bureaucracy, Jay leans heavily on Keep, her lifelong half-real friend. But in the corner of her eye lurks her mother, and a childhood Jay knows she can’ t ever outrun. Jay believes she is managing quite well, with a half-grip on this half-life of hers. That is, until Teddy starts to get sick, refusing to eat, while doctors refuse to listen, confounding everything Jay thought she knew about what lies ahead. The Keepers is an incredible and fiercely honest novel about the damage done by parents who can’ t love, the failures of a community that only claims to care, and the resilience of those whose stories mostly go untold.

Born in Brisbane, Al Campbell is a mother and full-time carer. Long ago she studied a bit, acted a bit, and pulled a lot of beers. Her first-ever publication was in Overland in 2020, followed by a story in Signs of Life – an anthology. The Keepers all but begged her to write it, given it is about issues – and people – that matter to her more than anything. Born in Brisbane, Al Campbell is a mother and full-time carer. Long ago she studied a bit, acted a bit, and pulled a lot of beers. Her first-ever publication was in Overland in 2020, followed by a story in Signs of Life – an anthology. The Keepers all but begged her to write it, given it is about issues – and people – that matter to her more than anything.