Yumna Kassab

What happens when we become used to each other, when we become bored, when we anticipate each other's moods like the seasons cycled in a day? What happens when you are tired of me and I tire of you? Every couple has a story. How they met, how they fell in love - their ups, their downs. What made them want to be in each other's arms day and night. The struggle of family expectations. The need to please each other, the desire to go their separate ways. It is about the private universe between two people as they try to hold to each other despite the barriers of geography, culture and class. Every couple has a beginning, a middle, and maybe an end. The Lovers is an enchanting fable that explores the light and dark of a relationship - a love distilled down to its barest form. You might think you know this story. Maybe you do.

The Lovers

'The real deal.' - Favel Parrett, author of Past the Shallows and There Was Still Love One small town, a multitude of stories. When the river runs dry, the town runs red. This could be any small town. It aches under the heat of summer. It flourishes in the cooler months. Everyone knows everyone. Their families, histories and stories are interwoven and well-known by one and all. Or at least, they think they are. But no-one sees anything quite the same way. Perceptions differ, truths are elusive, judgements have outcomes and everything is connected. For better or for worse. This is a version of small-town Australia that is recognisable, both familiar and new, exploring the characters, threads, and connections that detail everyday life to reveal a much bigger story. A tapestry that makes up this place called home. From the acclaimed author of The House of Youssef comes this extraordinary and unique novel shining a light on Australian rural life. PRAISE FOR THE HOUSE OF YOUSSEF 'The unadorned style and unobtrusive realism of this book mask, at first, how experimental and original it is in other ways' - Sydney Morning Herald 'Kassab's prose is unsparing and frank yet unstinting' - Australian Book Review

Australiana

‘The real deal.’ – Favel Parrett, author of Past the Shallows and There Was Still Love 'Kassab creates an eerie sense of place as the reader is drawn into myriad perspectives and geographies. Without doubt Australiana is an unnerving contribution to contemporary novel writing in this continent.'​ - Books + Publishing One small town, a multitude of stories. When the river runs dry, the town runs red. This could be any small town. It aches under the heat of summer. It flourishes in the cooler months. Everyone knows everyone. Their families, histories and stories are interwoven and well-known by one and all. Or at least, they think they are. But no-one sees anything quite the same way. Perceptions differ, truths are elusive, judgements have outcomes and everything is connected. For better or for worse. This is a version of small-town Australia that is recognisable, both familiar and new, exploring the characters, threads, and connections that detail everyday life to reveal a much bigger story. A tapestry that makes up this place called home. From the acclaimed author of The House of Youssef comes this extraordinary and unique novel shining a light on Australian rural life. PRAISE FOR THE HOUSE OF YOUSSEF ‘The unadorned style and unobtrusive realism of this book mask, at first, how experimental and original it is in other ways’ – Sydney Morning Herald ‘Kassab’s prose is unsparing and frank yet unstinting’ – Australian Book Review

Yumna Kassab

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