The Sydney Writers' Festival programme was announced last Thursday night and there is lots to be excited about. Here is a round up of our picks of the best books and authors to watch.
For more information on events with these authors visit swf.org.au.
Insomniac City by Bill Hayes
The Potts Point staff are rarely unanimous but on special occasions we all fall in love with the same book. Bill Hayes' tender, witty and intimate memoir is a love letter to New York and his late partner, the wise and compassionate Oliver Sacks.
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
This is a masterful debut novel from a vibrant new voice in fiction. It tells the story of a determined young black woman, trying to find her way in the world after losing her mother. With frankness and humanity, Bennett tackles friendship, ambition, adulthood and the support and suffocation of community.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2016 National Book Award. A haunting, visceral novel that never flinches from the aberrations of history, while still singing with imagination and heart. Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning story is about giving voice to those who need to be heard, perhaps now more than ever.
The Return by Hisham Matar
Counting Hilary Mantel and Chimamanda Adichie among his readers, Hisham Matar is an essential voice in non fiction today. The Return is an extraordinary memoir that revisits Matar's childhood in Libya and dives into the difficult personal and political story of his father's life.
I'm Supposed to Protect You From All This by Nadja Speigelman
This powerful memoir is force of nature, just like its provocative author and subject. Speigelman sets out to explore the stories and secrets of her mother and grandmother - both fiercely intelligent, French and a little bit nuts. The book is a wild ride filled with emotional intensity and dark humour.
In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi
When Susan Faludi received a matter-of-fact email from her estranged father informing her that he'd become a woman, she decided to revive a relationship that had long fallen away. The result is a fascinating, compulsively readable book which raises as many questions as it answers, and proves that there is no such thing as a singular identity.