The Secret Year of Zara Holt (Kimberley Freeman, Hachette)

The Secret Year of Zara Holt is a compelling novel inspired by the real-life story of Dame Zara Bate, wife of former Australian prime minister Harold Holt. While many know Harold’s story, Zara’s has remained largely untold. A pioneer of the Melbourne fashion scene, she opened her boutique Maag at just nineteen and quickly became known as a vivacious, successful businesswoman in her own right. Kimberley Freeman anchors the narrative in reality, drawing from an already intriguing life story and seamlessly integrating fact and fiction to create an intimate and immersive memoir-like narrative. The novel unfolds across two timelines: Zara’s reflections on the forty years since she first met ‘Harry’ and the present-day ‘secret year’ following his disappearance in Portsea. Despite Harold Holt’s presence, this novel is very much Zara’s story, focusing on all aspects of her life – both real and imagined – from starting her business and designing dresses for the elite to the demise of her first marriage and marital affairs. Zara’s life and experiences are so vast and fascinating that, at times, they can feel overwhelming and affect the pacing of the core plot. Even so, Freeman delivers a rich and resonant story filled with themes of female ambition and friendships, resilience and life in the public eye. The Secret Year of Zara Holt will resonate with fans of Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Freeman’s previous historical fiction novels.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Lisa Schuurman is an editor, writer and book reviewer working in the publishing industry. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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