From the bestselling author of The Banksia Bay Beach Shack comes a moving and heartwarming story about finding a new lease on life. Spanning over seventy years, we follow the lives of Anne and Grace in a poignant journey through love, grief and hope on a cosy island, while also unravelling the mystery behind the town’s historic book club.

Why did the book club suddenly end? And why is the town staying silent about it?

In 1950, teenager Anne leaves the cosy comforts of Wattle Island for the big smoke of Sydney in hopes of building a new life for herself and forgetting the man she left behind. Little did she know how difficult it would be to do so as an unmarried woman starting out in her first office job, where sexism runs rampant. So when trouble arises, she has no choice but to return to Wattle Island, to the quiet life she longed to escape. And when tragedy falls upon her, she forms the Wattle Island Book Club to cope.

In 2018, Grace, a young spirited librarian who has been making bucket lists since she was a child, has a second chance to live her life to the fullest. Determined to tick off as many items on her list, she heads to Wattle Island on one of her adventures only to stumble upon the fragments of the small town’s book club. Drawn to the mystery behind its sudden ending, Grace is determined to unearth the truth, but little did she know she’d know she’d find herself entangled in the life of Anne’s grandson Sam who is carrying his own heavy secret.

Together in the unlikeliest of friendships, Anne and Grace must move beyond their trauma to heal the past and work together to secure the town, and the book club’s, future. Equal parts charming and heart-wrenching, The Wattle Island Book Club celebrates new beginnings, the power of literature and community and that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

Join author and journalist Frances Whiting at Carindale Library as she chats to Sydney-based Sandie Docker via livestream in this special hybrid event.