About the book

Conrad is falsely accused of passing military secrets to the Russians. His life and that of his family is turned upside down by discrimination and fear. Unemployed, misrepresented by the media, betrayed by relatives and threatened by strangers, Conrad sees no choice but to uproot his family from their homeland to start a new life in Moscow.

It is also the story of Ruby, and of her and Conrad’s adopted son, Alex, and biological son, Peter, and of the tension and intrigue that confronts them and shapes their lives in two countries. Russia lives and breathes in McCoy’s superb evocation of it, but Australia is never far away. As Peter says, ‘Tell me again why we’re still here?’

Told with suspense and rich in characterisation and surprising plot twists, this is a novel of both heart and intellect, a book about the need to belong, about what a family is and why we all need one.

Inspired by the author‘s own family history, this atmospheric novel superbly captures both Australia (Sydney, and Melbourne’s Richmond and St Kilda) and Russia (Moscow, Odessa). With echoes of classic Australian authors such as the late George Johnston, Mick McCoy’s third novel is reminiscent of Tim Winton’s work. It adeptly explores family dynamics, and is rich in characterisation and feeling.

Published: 1 March 2018
Trade paperback
RRP: $29.99
Distribution: NewSouth Books

About the author

Mick McCoy is the author of Burning Sunday (Sceptre), which was shortlisted for the 1999 Age Book of the Year award, and Cutting Through Skin (Sceptre, 2001). He lives with his wife and daughter in Melbourne, Australia. Before writing books, he did a Ph.D. in exercise physiology at University of Melbourne, and worked for seven seasons as the head of player conditioning at Richmond Football Club. Between the books, he founded, built and successfully sold ‘fitness2live’, an online health and wellbeing business. His weekly Saturday morning talkback segment on ABC 774 ran for five years, and as a print journalist, his writing has appeared in the Age, Financial Review Magazine, the Sunday Age, the Qantas Club Magazine, the West Australian, Business Review Weekly and more. What the Light Reveals has been a long time coming but it has been well worth the wait. Its publication signals the return of a major Australian talent.

Learn more at mickmccoy.com.