The Endling (Keely Jobe, Scribe)

Keely Jobe’s debut novel, The Endling, tells an enthralling story of an isolated feminist collective hidden on a mountain in the Australian bush where all the women mysteriously fall pregnant on the same day. The novel primarily follows two women: Frank, one of the oldest members of the group, who lives in seclusion with her dog miles away from the others, and her niece Mila. As the story unfolds, both women become increasingly alienated from the collective and drawn, instead, into the vastness of the surrounding bush. This divide culminates when Mila gives birth to the only boy, forcing the women to confront the purpose of their hardline ideologies and the benefits they may or may not have. The novel’s greatest strength is its beautiful prose. Jobe renders the world on the mountain in such vivid detail that it comes alive on the page. She introduces speculative elements early on, with certain ideas, such as women falling pregnant without men present, feeling embedded in the world’s logic. A poignant novel for a time of societal unrest and divide, The Endling asks searing questions about what it means to fully embody your beliefs and what happens when humanity is sacrificed in the name of the greater good. The Endling will appeal to readers drawn to discussions of gender, heartwarming human connection and a looming mystery. The novel will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy the prose style and mystical elements of Isabel Allende’s Eva Luna.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Tierney Khan is a writer based in Naarm and an avid reader Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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