Released June 2024
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Praise for The Desert Knows Her Name:
‘Lia Hills’ attentive eye and empathy raise this novel to an exceptional level.’
– Jock Serong.
‘Beautiful and tender. Hills’ sentences sing with deep knowledge and respect.’
– Inga Simpson.
‘…glorious…ingenious shimmer of a novel.’
– Helen Elliott, The Age/Sydney Morning Herald
‘The Australian book to read now…Australian literature is full of stories of identity and belonging and Lia Hills makes a significant contribution to this canon with her gorgeous novel The Desert Knows Her Name.’
– Michael Williams for Qantas Magazine
‘It soothes the soul in these oddly cracked times to celebrate a new name to cherish in the Australian literary landscape. Lia Hills shows shimmering sensitivity, fastidious scientific, cultural and historical research in…her delicate and beautiful second novel…like a new-era Patrick White, Hills carves memorable characters from a poorly nourished land.’
– Samela Harris, Herald Sun
‘Many readers will justifiably welcome The Desert Knows Her Name and future novels by Lia Hills. She is a skilled writer and her attention to the long game of evolving national configuration will remain important.’
– Paul Genoni, Australian Book Review
‘Readers of Alexis Wright will rejoice in this poetically told tale of land and history. By reading these women, we understand that we cannot talk about this land without also talking about its history.’
– Chris Gordon, Readings
‘…a book to be savoured, consumed in stages, mulled over, considered and absorbed.’
– Wimmera Mallee News
‘…there is plenty to get excited about in June. The Desert Knows Her Name, by Lia Hills, is a moody and unsettling story about what happens to a town when a strange and silent girl emerges from the bush.’
– Collins Booksellers June magazine (featured on the cover)
Watch the review by Katy from The Leaf Bookshop.
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Launch dates:
May 28: Readings Carlton, 6:30pm. In conversation with Tony Birch.
June 1: Belgrave Library, 2pm. In conversation with Marian Spires.
June 16: Horsham CWA Hall, 2pm. In conversation with D’Arcy Molan.
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Bookshop and library events:
June 6: Ulysses Bookstore, Hampton, 7pm.
June 14: Dimboola Imaginarium, Dimboola, 5:30pm.
June 21: Verso Books, Healesville, 6:30pm.
July 3: The Paperbark Bookstore, Bard’s Apothecary, Melbourne, 6pm.
August 6: Wheelers Hill Library, Wheelers Hill.
August 29: Fraser Coast Library, Hervey Bay, 5:30pm.
September 21: Mooroolbark Library, Mooroolbark.
October 23: Caulfield Library.