A young man named Levi McAllister decides to build a coffin for his twenty-three-year-old sister, Charlotte—who promptly runs for her life. A water rat swims upriver in quest of the cloud god. A fisherman named Karl hunts for tuna in partnership with a seal. And a father takes form from fire.
The answers to these riddles are to be found in this tale of grief and love and the bonds of family, tracing a journey across the southern island that takes us full circle.
Flames sings out with joy and sadness. Utterly original in conception, spellbinding in its descriptions of nature and its celebration of the power of language, it announces the arrival of a thrilling new voice in contemporary fiction.
'Ambitious storytelling from a stunning new Australian voice. Flames is constantly surprising - I never knew where the story would take me next. This book has a lovely sense of wonder for the world. It's brimming with heart and compassion.' Rohan Wilson
'[A] wonderful novel that contains all sorts of oddities' Sydney Morning Herald
'Flames is an exuberantly creative and confident debut. This is a story that sparks with invention...Invigorating, strange and occasionally brutal.' Australian Book Review
'Unique and memorable...Extraordinary energy...A rich and memorable picture with prose of an exceptionally high quality. You won't read another Australian literary novel like this anytime soon.' Kill Your Darlings
