Shadows of Doubt

This is serious, evocative Australian literary fiction that isn't afraid to confront uncomfortable realities with beauty and truth. Perfect for fans of Charlotte Wood's exploration of desire and secrecy, Helen Garner's unflinching eye on human lives, and Kate Grenville's storytelling lyricism.

Some secrets shape you. Others consume you.

Fifteen-year-old Jodie lives in a body that to her is both a burden and a battleground; she is hearing impaired, asthmatic and painfully aware of every extra curve. Isolated on a beautiful rural property in Northern NSW in the 1990s, her world is small; she is hemmed in by her mother's rules, reactive to her father's betrayals and traumatised by the echo of frightening memories she cannot fully recall.

Then there is Shaun, her charismatic neighbour and maths tutor, who unsettles and arouses her. In the privacy of her isolation, she writes him love letters she will never send and fills her journal with fantasies so vivid they almost become real. They are her refuge when the loneliness closes in, when Anne - the gentler, braver voice inside her mind - is the only one who offers comfort her outer world denies.

This compelling literary novel explores first desire, body image, shame, family fracture and the dangerous weight of secrets. Unflinching yet tender, it is an evocative story of inner lives, friendships, buried truths and the fragile courage it takes to set them free.

PRAISE FOR HEATHER FARMER

'In Shadows of Doubt, the main protagonist Jodie is a character I won't soon forget. She describes herself as 'a deaf, fat nerd who talks to herself'; she's a shoplifting teenager with a big heart and crushing anxieties. When she begins to uncover the dirty secrets in her dysfunctional family, I found I was holding my breath to the very last, tense page. I loved this novel. It's well-written and has a twist that will leave you gasping.' Sally McDonald

'In Shadows of Doubt, Heather Farmer takes us on a journey with Jodie, the central character, who doggedly attempts to unravel the dark mystery of her childhood, while simultaneously navigating fraught relationships with her mother and two older brothers, and experiencing painful first love.

At times written in a beautifully lyrical style, the reader is drawn into Jodie's deepest thoughts and feelings as she struggles to find her way to clarity, maturity and confidence. A complex, layered tale, with subtle twists and turns, the book climaxes with a stunning revelation, and an ending that will surprise even the most insightful of readers.

Shadows of Doubt is a gripping tale and a must-read for adults and adolescents alike. It is an immensely thoughtful, suspenseful and overall enjoyable book!' Marilyn Venus