Dove (Georgia Harper, Penguin)

Georgia Harper’s Dove is a quiet, restrained novel with a philosophical tone and a steady undercurrent of tension. Set in a small Queensland town in 1993, the story centres on Dove, who writes a provocative question on a wall after a violent encounter with a neighbour: “WOMEN: What would you do if you had a whole day on earth free of men?” As women begin to respond, the town is unsettled, and simmering tensions ignite, drawing a range of local responses. Harper’s contemplative style invites readers to slow down and sit with the characters’ inner lives rather than rush towards its dramatic resolution. At times, the novel reads more like social commentary than crime fiction, exploring gender, power and social unease as it builds to a dramatic resolution. Setting the story 33 years in the past encourages reflection on how much – or how little – gendered power dynamics have changed. The story unfolds through the perspectives of Dove, local electrician Noah, and Noah’s teenage daughter Bella. Dove emerges as a resilient, independent woman with nuanced psychological depth. Noah’s voice offers the “good Aussie bloke” point of view and explores the ways men both benefit from and are constrained by patriarchy. Bella’s chapters, while occasionally encumbered by their diary entry format, provide some hope for the future. Dove will best suit readers who value atmosphere, reflection and intellectual curiosity over fast-paced storytelling.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Hannah Cartmel is an editor, former bookseller and co-founder of The Rag & Bone Man Press Inc. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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