Holding On and Letting Go
Lisa’s perfectly controlled existence is turning to shit. The university where she is employed expects her to work herself to death, her only parent has left to join the grey nomads, and her stay-at-home husband, Michael, is becoming besties with another mum. As Lisa struggles to cope with sexism in the education system, she enters a battle with her daughter’s primary school who refuse to add shorts to their girls’ uniform. The more the school fixates on pretty girls in dresses, the more Lisa feels judged by the other mothers and finds solace at the bottom of a bottle.
Michael’s life would be simpler if his wife could learn to let things lie. He has loved being a stay-at-home dad and spending most of his day cooking curries and making dumplings. Yet he is restless now that their daughter has started school. His desire to be the available parent conflicts with his desire to return to work.
In middle age, Lisa and Michael begin to unravel as they struggle to overcome childhood wounds and rigid gender stereotypes. Lisa’s spiralling thoughts lead her to dark places. Can she find the courage to hold on to what matters while relinquishing control? Will Michael learn to speak up and challenge his wife so he can lead his family to calmer waters?
Holding On and Letting Go is a domestic fiction novel aimed at women, academics and stay at home fathers. Set in Brisbane in 2017, this novel examines human vulnerabilities within a toxic, increasingly commodified education industry.
Mum & Mabel
Mabel is twenty-one, studying psychology and pissed off. Being abandoned by her mother at five-years-old ruined her life. Now that stranger is staying with Mabel for two weeks.
When Mabel uncovers her mother’s history of abuse, the family stories her father fed her begin to unravel. As long-held assumptions crumble, Mable faces explosive conflict with her sister, gaslighting from her father, and a confrontation with her abusive ex. To reclaim her own identity, she must redefine what family means.
Mum & Mabel is a domestic-fiction novel aimed at young woman and mothers. Set in Brisbane in the late 1990s, Mabel is empowered by feminism and higher education. Against a backdrop of women’s rights and a growing awareness of domestic violence, Mabel and her mother attempt to undo the damage men caused them over generations. This novel interrogates themes of maternal abandonment, intergenerational trauma, and the transformative power of education.