The One Remaining (Paula McLean, Fearless Press)

Paula McLean’s The One Remaining is a quiet, affecting novel about memory, silence and the long shadow of a sister’s disappearance. When successful novelist Hilary Mason discovers a stack of old diaries, she begins writing a memoir that leads her through decades of grief and denial, towards the traumatic day her sister Elaine left home and never returned. The novel is told in the first person, capturing the fractured loops of memory with emotional precision. McLean’s prose is lyrical but restrained, revealing the textures of sisterhood, guilt and maternal legacy. Hilary’s reflections – by turns wry, raw and deeply felt – unfold in a narrative that privileges interiority over action. What stands out most is McLean’s handling of structure: by embedding Hilary’s memoir within the novel itself, she constructs a story that moves in recursive circles, continually negotiating what can and cannot be remembered. A luminous meditation on what it means to survive and what it costs to remember, the novel offers insight into how trauma lingers and the solace that can emerge from finally facing it. Perfect for fans of Charlotte Wood, Emily Bitto and Sofie Laguna; or readers drawn to slow-burn stories that hold a mirror to life’s quiet devastations. With its layered themes of grief, memory, womanhood and the emotional echoes of middle age, The One Remaining is also an ideal pick for book clubs.  

Books+Publishing reviewer: Ananya Thirumalai is a writer and arts student based in Sydney, passionate about emotionally rich storytelling and centring marginalised voices in Australian publishing. 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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