UON author set to publish second novel
Dr Michael Sala, Scholarly Teaching Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, has had the publication of his eagerly anticipated second novel, The Restorer, announced by Text Publishing.
"The Restorer is a superb new novel from the author of The Last Thread, winner of the NSW Premier’s Award for NewWriting and the Commonwealth Book Prize (Pacific region) in 2013.
After a year apart, Maryanne returns to her husband, Roy, bringing their eight-year-old son Daniel and his teenage sister Freya with her. The family moves from Sydney to Newcastle, where Roy has bought a derelict house on the coast. As Roy painstakingly patches the holes in the floorboards and plasters over cracks in the walls, Maryanne believes, for a while,that they can rebuild a life together.But Freya doesn’t want a fresh start—she just wants out—and Daniel drifts around the sprawling, run-down house in a dream,infuriating his father, who soon forgets the promises he has made. Some cracks can never be smoothed over, and tension grows between Roy and Maryanne until their uneasy peace is ruptured—with devastating consequences.
Haunting and utterly unforgettable, The Restorer explores the insufficiency of love, the way trauma shapes identity, and the frightening power parents have over the lives of their children." - Text Publishing
The Restorer will be officially published on February 27th and will be launched as part of this year's Newcastle Writers Festival on Saturday April 8th.
Michael Sala was born in the Netherlands and first came to Australia as a child in the 1980s. His research and supervision interests include the short story, memoir, science fiction and fantasy, and the contemporary novel.
Dr Sala is also teaching a new course this semester called, ‘Art of the Novel,’ which is currently open for enrolments.
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