Shortlisted for the 2019 Stella Prize

Bluebottle – Belinda Castles

Fiction · Allen & Unwin

Bluebottle

About the book

“The precision of Castles’ observations, her attentiveness to nature and her remarkable understanding of family dynamics make this novel outstanding.”

– 2019 Stella Prize Judges

About the author


Belinda Castles

Belinda Castles won the Australian/Vogel’s literary award for The River Baptists in 2006 and was one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Novelists in 2008. Her next novel, Hannah & Emil, won the Asher Literary Award. She has recently returned from teaching in the UK and is currently a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Sydney. Belinda lives with her husband and daughters on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Further Reading



Reviews 

“Castles maintains an exquisite suspense that forces the reader to wonder about how many “facts” have been distorted by nostalgia. The characters, especially the siblings, feel authentically flawed and vulnerable and both timeframes are compelling, with each step into the past expertly adding another layer of complexity.”
Frances Atkinson, Sydney Morning Herald

“Her flowing narrative, well-crafted characters and underlying dark suspense had me hooked until the last page.”
Robert Fairhead, WritingNSW.org.au

Judges’ report


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