The Cross Thieves

‘Razor sharp and startlingly original, The Cross Thieves crackles with street spirit. A big-hearted, unholy riot!’ – Bram Presser, author of the award-winning Book of Dirt.

Two hungry boys set out from their squat by a slow river on a not quite mythic quest for revenge. At the same time, a local pastor drives from his beachside home to visit a dying parishioner. What each means to the other will be revealed as brothers, Gark and Pell, run for their lives over one desperate night, across a coastal town haunted by its past.

The Cross Thieves is bold, mature and compassionate. And sprinkled with humour, 80s pop, carny lore, and the mysteries of philately. Fyfe’s knowing eye for place, poverty and powerlessness and his empathy for the underdog is captured in an unforgettable story of profound emotional power.

About the Author

Alan Fyfe is a maker of stories and poems who lives on unceded Noongar country. His first novel, T (Transit Lounge 2022), won listings in Australian and International manuscript awards and was listed for the West Australian Premier’s Award for an Emerging Writer.

His first poetry collection, G-d, Sleep, and Chaos (Gazebo 2024), was awarded silver in The Flying Islands manuscript prize, commended in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, and won The West Australian Premier’s Award for Poetry as well as overall West Australian Book of the Year. The Cross Thieves is the second part of a trilogy centred around The Peel Region, which began with T and will conclude in his forthcoming work, The Nine Angles.