The Pull of the Moon by Pip Smith

Coralie is thirteen years old and lives on Christmas Island, where sea birds circle the sky and the seasons are marked by the migratory patterns of crabs. But life on the island isn’t always paradise.

During a fierce tropical storm, a fishing boat carrying eighty-nine asylum seekers crashes into the island’s cliffs. Coralie locks eyes with Ali, an eleven-year-old Iranian boy, as his mother pulls her life jacket over his head. But soon Ali disappears beneath the waves and when his body isn’t recovered, Coralie resolves to do everything she can to find him.

Pip Smith’s The Pull of the Moon explores what happens when the urge to help collides with the unfathomable uncertainty of loss.

Coralie threw the life jackets one by one, as hard as she could, and watched them catch on the wind and blow into the sea.

About the Author: Pip Smith was named an SMH Best Young Novelist of 2018 for her debut novel, Half Wild, which was shortlisted for the Voss Literary award, the Davitt Award, and longlisted for an ABIA Best Debut Fiction award. She teaches novel-writing for the Faber Writing Academy, where she also works as manager.

27 May 2025

The Pull of the Moon by Pip Smith ISBN 9781760803032