THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
A woman at the end of her life. A man unable to restart his. A history of guilty secrets and things left unsaid. A powerful, moving novel that will steal your heart.
Elderly and in poor health, Mary fulfils her wish to herself to live out her last days on Bruny Island with only her regrets and memories for company. A long time ago, her late husband was the lighthouse keeper on Bruny, and she'd raised a family on the wild windswept island, until terrible circumstances forced them back to civilisation. The long-buried secret that has haunted her for decades now threatens to break free and she is hoping to banish it once and for all before her time is up. But secrets have a life of their own, and as Mary relives the events that led up to the shattering revelation, she realises she needs to trust a later generation to put things right.
"Karen Viggers sets the scene in a family dynamic filled with regret, loss and love. Poetic in its treatment, it's a novel of parallels and, ultimately, hope." AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
"This is a poignant and beautiful work from a promising Australian author." - AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ONLINE
"This is an engrossing, often moving but never mawkish read." - ADELAIDE ADVERTISER
Winner Prix Litteraire: Les Petits Mots des Libraires - Discovery Novel Category 2016 FR
From the international bestselling author of The Lightkeeper's Wife comes another compelling and uplifting novel set in remote Tasmania.
Sixteen-year-old Mikaela has grown up isolated and home-schooled on an orchard in Tasmania, until an unexpected event shatters her family. Eighteen months later, she and her older brother Kurt are running a small business in a timber town. Miki longs to make connections and spend more time in her beloved forest, but she is kept a virtual prisoner by Kurt, who leads a secret life of his own.
When Miki meets Leon, another outsider, things slowly begin to change. But the power to stand up for yourself must come from within. And Miki has to fight to uncover the truth of her past and discover her strength and spirit.
Set in the old-growth eucalypt forests and vast rugged mountains of southern Tasmania, The Orchardist's Daughter is an uplifting story about friendship, resilience and finding the courage to break free.
