At the Edge of the Solid World

Shortlisted for the 2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award

In a snowbound village in the heart of the Alps, a husband and wife find their lives breaking apart in the days and months following the death of their firstborn. On the far side of the world, in their hometown of Sydney, a man on the margins of Australian society commits an act of shocking violence that galvanises international attention. As the husband recognises signs of his own grief in both the survivors and the perpetrator, his fixation on the details of the case feeds into insomnia, trauma, and an obsession with the terms on which we give value to human lives.

A compulsive, compelling and lyrical novel, told with extraordinary empathy and emotional intelligence, this sweeping saga examines the nature of loss, the resilience and fragility of the family unit and the stories we tell to explain the world.

About the Author

Daniel Davis Wood was born in Sydney and is currently based in Birmingham, England. Between 2009 and 2012, he worked on a PhD thesis in Literary Studies at the University of Melbourne. He also helped to organise an international humanities symposium, coordinated a fortnightly reading group, co-edited the academic journal Antithesis, and edited and published a collection of essays on the work of the American writer Edward P. Jones. His first book,Blood and Bone won the 2014 Seizure Viva La Novella Prize.