All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton

Australian author, Trent Dalton, is back with another highly imaginative, beautiful yet gritty story full of memorable characters. 

All Our Shimmering Skies is set in Northern Australia during the WWII bombing of Darwin. It follows the adventures of Molly, a gravedigger’s daughter, who continues to see hope and beauty in a world where she is treated harshly. Along with some friends she picks up on the way; an aspiring actress and a Japanese bomber pilot, Molly journeys into the outback in search of a cure for her family’s curse.  

Replete with magical realism, indigenous folklore, historical elements and colorful characters, this was a hard book to put down.