A diverse selection of 10 books has been longlisted for the $50,000 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award in 2025.
The annual Award is open to books of any genre and is given to the best Australian book of the year that deals with any aspect of Australian life.
Over 200 entries have been whittled down to the longlist of ten, which showcases the diversity that has come to characterise 'The Roderick'.
The list features Gail Jones's novel One Another, Leah Kaminsky's poetry collection Disorders of the Blood, Khin Myint's memoir Fragile Creatures, and the story of the career of champion Australian Muay Thai fighter John Wayne Parr, by Parr and Jarrod Boyle.
Although Jones and Kaminsky are renowned figures in the Australian literary landscape – Jones won this award in 2016 – Boyle and Parr, along with Myint, are first-time authors.
Three very different thrillers also made the longlist: Lainie Anderson's The Death of Dora Black, about the adventures and struggles of early women police; Robbie Arnott's gothic survivalist saga Dusk; and Garry Disher's coolly criminal Sanctuary, which has suspense on every page.
The longlist for the 2025 Award is rounded out by two young adult novels – Six Summers of Tash and Leopold by Danielle Binks and Look Me in the Eye by Jane Godwin – and a book for children.
The Wobbly Bike is by another first-time author and perhaps the longlist's only tradie, Darren McCallum, with illustrations by Craig Smith.
Dr Leigh Dale is chair of the judging panel and she said that the discussions this year had been lengthy, as there were books that on first reading seemed to be at a similar level.
She revealed that the panel, which includes celebrated Townsville journalist Mary Vernon and Professor Emerita Susan K. Martin of La Trobe University, with the assistance of Professor Emeritus Alan Lawson of the University of Queensland, had been rereading about two dozen books over the last month to fine-tune their assessments.
"It's always hard letting some books go, but we are confident we have made a careful sifting of the entries, and we're looking forward to the next round of rereading to find our shortlist and winner," Dr Dale.
Recent winners include Melissa Lucashenko for her novel Edenglassie, Sarah Holland-Batt for her poetry collection The Jaguar, and the first volume of Sally Young's scholarly trilogy on the Australian newspaper industry, Paper Emperors.
The author of the winning book for 2025 will receive $50,000 in prize money and be presented with the silver H.T. Priestley Memorial Medal at a ceremony to be held in Townsville in September.
The prize is funded by the largest-ever bequest given to an Australian regional university, by Margaret and Colin Roderick. The Award is managed by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at James Cook University (JCU).
Colin Roderick was founding professor of English at JCU. The generosity of his wife, Margaret, who collaborated in his literary scholarship and reviewing, enabled a significant increase in prize money for the award last year, and into the future.
The longlist books and judges' comments
Lainie Anderson, The Death of Dora Black: A Petticoat Police Mystery [Hachette Australia]
Set in 1917, this crime novel is based on the true story of pioneering female policewoman Kate Cocks in Adelaide. Kate and her junior constable Ethel Bromley have a fight to prove themselves. A thrilling murder mystery, it is also a fascinating insight into the times, and how women were perceived.
Robbie Arnott, Dusk [Pan Macmillan Australia] This moody, sometimes magical, novel follows twins Iris and Floyd, travelling through an alternative, colonial-era rural Australia. Evoking an uncannily familiar country, with spare, careful writing the story builds suspense as the pair try for the bounty on human-killer puma Dusk.
Danielle Binks, Six Summers of Tash and Leopold [Hachette Australia]
A young adult novel that follows two kids in the last year of primary school, the collapse of their friendship and its renewal. The story takes the reader into the multiple challenges and changes faced as they grow up. A good, compelling book with just enough of a happy ending.
Garry Disher, Sanctuary [Text Publishing]A web of theft and betrayal is exposed in prose as precise as polished hardwood. After more than sixty books, ranging from children's literature to thrillers, Disher is as deft as he is prolific – a rare combination.
Jane Godwin, Look Me in the Eye [Hachette Australia]
At what point does "caring" get creepy? And is selling Barbie dolls a sensible way to make a living? A novel for younger readers, set in post-Covid Melbourne, Look Me in the Eye opens up questions about surveillance, keeping safe and mental health.
Gail Jones, One Another [Text Publishing]A historical novel that deftly interweaves the life of drifting postgraduate student Helen with fragments of the life and works of writer Joseph Conrad. Is this a Bildungsroman for both? The novel plays with the rich metaphor of the lost manuscript, through the fraught progress of the two characters.
Leah Kaminsky, Disorders of the Blood [Puncher & Wattmann]
If you cannot imagine why or how a refrigerator might turn homicidal – and then decide on a different, better kind of revenge – then you need to read Kaminsky's poem "On Becoming a Fridge." These funny, wise, and sometimes startling poems use language with precision and insight.
Darren McCallum and Craig Smith, The Wobbly Bike [Walker Books]
Pop's old bike is pretty wobbly, but will things come right in the end? Maybe. Along with a gentle story told in rhyme this book for children has beautiful watercolour illustrations that are packed with comic details.
Khin Myint, Fragile Creatures: A Memoir [Black Inc.] The "fragile creatures" of Khin Myint's memoir are his family, particularly the narrator and his sister, Theda. Exuding empathy and insight, as well as writerly craft, the book strikes a perfect balance between immersion and distance.
John Wayne Parr with Jarrod Boyle, The Fighter: The Legendary Life of an Australian Champion [Hachette Australia]
Whether or not you are interested in the martial art of Muay Thai this book offers a compelling story of the career of John Wayne Parr, who became a multiple world champion, showing the extraordinary commitment it took to get to the top. Inspiring, funny, and definitely worth the read.
