Else by Rose Michael

Leisl and her daughter Else have their own language exchanging facts ‘like a frontier trade’. As the country is reclaimed by rains they escape the city, returning to their family home on a distant peninsula. Seasons become extreme. Else adapts, thriving in the wet and warming world. In Else, Leisl sees herself her father, his mother as the past becomes present, and present: past. But flash floods are followed by more weather events, and the pair are forced further and further down the ‘Ninch’.

A novel about belonging, Else imagines a possible future in the story of one family and lyrical, evocative prose.

‘A singular work deeply concerned with relationships, those we have with ourselves, our environment and our pasts.’ Romy Ash

‘Meticulously crafted and extremely inventive … timely and prescient.’ James Bradley

‘A testament to beloved Eastern Kulin Country, a generational saga of settlement, and an embrace of the myriad forms taken by knowledge.’ Bonny Cassidy

About the Author:

Rose Michael’s first novel, The Asking Game (Transit Lounge), was a runner-up for the Vogel and received an Aurealis honourable mention. Her second novel, The Art of Navigation (UWA), was shortlisted for a Conjure award and published in Review of Australian Fiction.

01 Dec 2025
 

Else by Rose Michael ISBN 9780987535535