Four books that changed Tess Evans

Tess Evans is the author of the novels Book of Lost Threads, The Memory Tree, Mercy Street, and The Ballad of Banjo Crossing. One of four books that changed her, as shared at the Sydney Morning Herald:

A KESTREL FOR A KNAVE Barry Hines

Set in a grey mining town, Barry Hines' novel is tough and uncompromising – vastly different from the classic English novels I was reading. Hines' language is spare, depicting lives of misery and brutality, but for young Billy Caspar, a kestrel opens the window to something sublime. This book plunged me into lives I had been too cosy to imagine, widening the scope of both my reading and empathy.

Read about the other books on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue