Those Hamilton Sisters

Averil Kenny 

IF your sunshine disappears behind a wall of cloud, escape to the lush tropics of Australia’s Far North Queensland in a super, sweeping family saga. An irresistible story of family, secrets and love, Aussie author Averil Kenny’s emotionally-charged and captivating novel stars three sisters whose future is threatened by their mother’s scandalous past.

The Sunday train which snaked into Noah Vale that midwinter afternoon brought with it fire, sending an inferno of small-town gossip roaring up the valley… and all because beautiful, irrepressible Esther Hamilton once had a reputation in the small Queensland town of Noah Vale.

Twenty years ago, Esther ran away under a cloud of shame but it’s now 1955 and following their mother’s death, the Hamilton sisters – Sonnet, Fable and little Plum – have returned to Noah Vale to live near their aunt and uncle.

Sonnet, twenty years old and legal guardian to her siblings, has never set foot in Noah Vale, yet has been the talk of the town for decades. Fable, at twelve-years-old, is a talented artist and lovelier than even her heartbreaking mother had been. 

And three-year-old Plum is just a little girl who has lost her mother and been taken away from the only home she has ever known. As the years pass, the three sisters settle into their new life, working in the town, going to school and swimming in the perfect waterfalls nearby. But suspicion and judgment continue to follow the Hamilton sisters wherever they go.

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In a small town where everyone thinks they know everything about each other, it’s hard to escape the past. And when Fable falls in love with Noah Vale’s golden boy, is history destined to repeat itself?

Set against a stunning, evocative backdrop of rainforest, golden sunshine, misty vales and soaring mountains, Those Hamilton Sisters features three charismatic and vibrant girls, each portrayed with exquisite precision as they blossom under the Queensland sunshine. As they find their place in the world, they must use every ounce of their determination and courage, and overcome the small town prejudices where their mother’s reputation has coloured the views of the close-knit, suspicious community. A fresh and imaginative coming-of-age story for all lovers of family sagas.
(Zaffre, paperback, £8.99)