When I Am Sixty-Four by Debra Adelaide

A profound and beautiful masterpiece about a lifelong friendship between two writers.

In this shimmering mosaic of a novel, a writer reflects on the final days of her friend’s life. In the decades after they met at school, they shared a passion for books and words, took care of each other’s children, received acclaim as authors, and endured failure and disappointment. Yet during these last days together, as she and her friend go on walks through their neighbourhood, she discovers that their paths may have been more different than she realised – and bridging the gulf becomes more vital than ever.

Based on Debra Adelaide’s friendship with Gabrielle Carey, When I Am Sixty-Four is a work of extraordinary depth and grace. Tender and moving, yet infused throughout with unexpected humour, it captures the human condition in all its complexity- the small but momentous events that can transform a life; the way cherished memories can be rewritten or expunged; the limitations of love, but also its necessity; and the exhilarating, unpredictable world of the creative imagination.

About the Author: Dr Debra Adelaide is the author or editor of eighteen books, including fiction, non-fiction and reference works. Her 2008 novel, The Household Guide to Dying, was published to acclaim in Australia and around the world, and was short- and long-listed for several literary awards, including the international Orange Prize (now the Women’s Prize) for Fiction. Her most recent books include Zebra, which won the short story category in the 2019 Queensland Literary Awards, and The Innocent Reader- Reflections on reading and writing. She taught creative writing for twenty years and is now an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. She lives and writes on Bidjigal Country in Sydney’s inner west.

31 Mar 2026
 

When I Am Sixty-Four by Debra Adelaide ISBN 9780702271168