Ash by Louise Wallace

Thea lives under a mountain – one that’s ready to blow.

A vet at a mid-sized rural practice, she has been called back during maternity leave and is coping – just – with the juggle of meetings, mealtimes, farm visits, her boss’s search for legal loopholes and the constant care of her much-loved children, Eli and Lucy.

But something is shifting in Thea – something is burning. Or is it that she is becoming aware, for the first time, of the bright, hot core at her centre?

Then comes an urgent call.

A summons to women everywhere, Ash is a story about reckoning with one’s rage and finding marvels in the midst of chaos.

‘I have not felt this seen by a book, ever … What Louise Wallace has achieved in Ash is a monumental call to all the women who have been called good girls and bitches with the same breath. Ash simmers and smokes with honesty. It makes sparks fly.’ Claire Mabey, author and critic

‘I loved this urgent, furious and funny novel – it dragged me back to early motherhood by my hair … A crackling debut.’ Emily Perkins, author of Lioness

A shimmering novel about motherhood, love and the power of feminine rage

About the Author: Louise Wallace is the author of four collections of poems, including This Is a Story About Your Mother, published in 2023. She is the founder and editor of Starling, an online journal showcasing the work of young writers from Aotearoa New Zealand, and the editor of Orongohau | Best New Zealand Poems 2022. She is a recipient of the Biggs Prize for Poetry and a Robert Burns fellow. Ash is her first novel.

02 Sep 2025
 

Ash by Louise Wallace ISBN 9781761473166