Darren Groth

This road trip will have eath-shattering consequences . . . Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest. It's been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer. Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift. Before they go their separate ways, they're seeking to create the perfect memory. For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes. For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to 'free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc - and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs. But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble . . . 'A funny and beautiful story about love, life and other disasters, told with the help of Robinson Crusoe and Jackie Chan. I think what we're "seeing" here is a writer at the top of his game. Just wonderful.' MICHAEL GERARD BAUER, author of The Running Man

Are You Seeing Me?

In this novel for teens, Munro Maddux goes to Australia on a student exchange in order to try and deal with his younger sister's death.

Munro Vs. the Coyote

Nate Monk is Kieran's father. He's a single parent of a 'differently wired' child, a talented musician who once stood on the cusp of success and a man resigned to a pragmatic life of responsibility over opportunity. Both share the scarred aftermath of the Infernal Day. On a perfect autumn April noon five-and-a-half years before, wife and mother Felicity died saving her only child from a raging house fire. Although Kieran's inadvertent hand was complicit in the tragedy, Nate refused to apportion blame. The tragic circumstances of the blaze, however, constituted a secret that a fearful father dared not share with his 'different' son. But now, as the burning forests of nearby Pendarra Hill fill the sky with smoke and the TV screen with concern, Kieran will discover the devastating truth. And driven by a desire to make amends for the 'stupid little kid' of half a decade before, he will disappear into the night.

Kindling

Simon Groth

In this novel for teens, an elite swimmer and a talented artist face a life-altering incident that tests the limits of their love.

Infinite Blue

He hugged her when she needed it. He kissed her unannounced. He cracked up at her rude puns. He got horny over her untouchable body. He eagerly reported dreams in which he remained faithful to her and he changed the channel when Halle Berry appeared on TV. He met her every requirement without overt complaint. He promised the suffering would end. And he still got down on both knees. After a series of miscarriages, Adam and Maddy manage to get pregnant. To personify and self-actualise' his fatherhood, Adam decides to email their unborn child. To his surprise, B gets his message at womb@almighty.com and replies. Then, in Week 29, B stops corresponding. What's happened? Brace yourself for the unexpected! The Umbilical Word is a contemporary novel about chasing dreams, confronting loss and discovering what's important in life. A must-read for every parent and parent-to-be.

Easyread Super Large 24pt Edition

The Umbilical Word

After a series of miscarriages, Adam and Maddy manage to get pregnant. To 'personify and self-actualise' his fatherhood, Adam decides to email their unborn child. To his surprise, "B" gets his message at womb@almighty.com and replies. Then, in Week 29, "B" stops corresponding. What's happened? Brace yourself for the unexpected! The Umbilical Word is a contemporary novel about chasing dreams, confronting loss and discovering what's important in life. A must-read for every parent and parent-to-be.

In a time of isolation and scarcity, a regressive regime rules with absolute power, turning neighbour against neighbour, and crushing dissidence with deadly force. A microcosm of this monstrous time: the tiny Pacific Northwest town of Gilder. In a house on the fringes of the decimated hamlet, Kasper—fifteen, intellectually disabled, limited ability to speak—has miraculously survived the slaying of his family. But alone, he is a fleeting miracle. Alone, he is on borrowed time. Alone, his yellow headphones, brown blanket and beloved copy of The Gingerbread Man are scant consolation. Alone, he is destined to die within the folds of the blue hammock hanging from his bedroom ceiling. Kasper is not alone. Tao—failed service dog turned family pet—has also survived the attack. And with the discovery of Boy, Tao understands he has a duty: guide the last living member of his pack out of the house and through the ravaged streets of Gilder to safety. The destination? The one refuge he can conceive of in a world gone mad. Boy in the Blue Hammock is an epic tale of loss and loyalty, of dissent and destruction, of assumption and ableism. With a unique premise, powerful narrative and evocative prose, the novel might be the best kept literary secret of 2022.

Boy in the Blue Hammock

Award-winning author Darren Groth's epic story of a dog who will protect the last remaining member of his family, an intellectually disabled boy, at all costs as human civilization crumbles around them. In a time of isolation and scarcity, a regressive regime rules with absolute power, turning neighbour against neighbour and crushing dissidence with deadly force. A microcosm of this monstrous time: the tiny Pacific Northwest town of Gilder. In a house on the fringes of the decimated hamlet, Tao--a failed service dog turned pet--wakes to find his leash tied to the stairs, his hind leg broken and his family killed. With the world he knows shattered, there is one course of action: lay with his slain masters and wait for the enemy--the "hounds"--to return and end his life. But it is not the hounds that find him--it is Kasper, fifteen years old, disabled, limited ability to speak, sole survivor of the family. With the discovery of Boy, Tao understands he now has a duty: guide the last living member of his pack through the ravaged streets of Gilder to safety. The destination? The only refuge he can conceive in a world gone mad? The site of his training five years before. Boy in the Blue Hammock is an epic tale of loss and loyalty, of dissent and destruction, of assumption and ableism. With a powerful narrative and evocative prose, the novel poses one of the important questions of our time: When evil silences the people, who will protect those without a voice?

Easyread Edition

Ashley Drummond is an elite swimmer. Clayton Sandalford is a talented artist. From the moment of their first meeting, they were destined to be together. Staying together, however, will test the limits of their love. A world-record swim, and the strange vision that accompanies it, raises questions about the couple's connection. Then a life-altering incident triggers a mystical change, which will demand that both of them let go in ways never imagined. Infinite Blue is a contemporary fairy tale about love and loss, flesh and water, the source of eternity, the lure of possibility and the belief that life is limitless when it's immersed in legend.

Darren Groth

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