The Strays: A Novel

"This debut novel showcases a dazzling and doomed collection of human beings assembled under one bohemian roof in 1930s Australia. One, an adolescent named Lily, sees all but says little – until she comes to narrate this book. Framed as a memoir drafted in 1985, The Strays invites readers into a world that is by turns disturbing and magical. The avant-garde art scene in Melbourne burns white hot, becoming the reefer-fueled backdrop here. In the foreground, two young girls fall in love, creating an intense private relationship amid the adult chaos that reigns around them, and Emily Bitto’s word pictures elevate the ordinary to the exquisite."