February reviews with Torquay Books

Inheritance

Kath O’Connor

Affirm Press

$32.99

In 2016, while in the early stages of IVF, Rose is shaken by the discovery that she carries a dangerous mutation of the BrCa1 gene. She begins to ask questions about her family history, and particularly her grandmother Nellie, whose early death left a hole in their family that was never quite filled. As the certainties in Rose’s life start to crumble around her, she becomes fixated on the shadowy figure of Nellie. Who really was this woman, and could her secrets reveal the way forward for the granddaughter who may share her fatal gene?

Inheritance tells the stories of two similar women in very different worlds, exploring how our circumstances – and the time and society we live in – can collide with what we’ve inherited to shape our lives. It’s a breathtaking and profoundly moving exploration of love, death and the dignified beauty of a quiet life.

In 2019, writer and general practitioner Dr Kath O’Connor died from ovarian cancer while working on the final draft of Inheritance. Her partner and family, with Kath’s writing mentor, Inga Simpson, completed the manuscript so that Kath’s dream of publication could be realised and this beautiful novel could be shared.

Royalties from the sale of the book will be donated to WomenCan: Funding Gynaecological Cancer Research.

 

The One and Only Dolly Jamieson

Lisa Irelan

Penguin Books

$32.99

The One and Only Dolly Jamieson is a compelling feel-good novel featuring a proud and gutsy heroine with a truly unbreakable spirit.

Dolly Jamieson is not homeless, she’s merely between permanent abodes. The 78-year-old spends her days keeping warm at the local library, where she enjoys sparring with the officious head librarian and helping herself to the free morning tea. It’s not so bad, really.But it’s certainly a far cry from the 1960s, when this humble girl from Geelong became an international star of the stage. As the acclaimed lead in the Broadway production of The Rose of France, all Dolly’s dreams had come true.So how, in her old age, did she end up here?When Jane Leveson, a well-to-do newcomer to the library, shows an interest in Dolly, the pair strike up an unlikely friendship – and soon Jane is offering to help Dolly write her memoirs. Yet Dolly can detect a deep sadness in the younger woman’s eyes. Perhaps by working together to recount the glittering highs, devastating lows and tragic secrets of Dolly’s life, both women can finally face their pasts and start to heal…

“From the glamour of Broadway in the 1960s to the realities of life for the unhoused today, this is a riveting and heartbreaking story of friendship, second chances and hope” – Kelly Rimmer

“This novel had me from the first page. It’s been years since a book has made me feel like this” – Sally Hepworth

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