Minstrels

This is a new book. Condition: Brand New.

An extraordinary new literary novel from the award-winning author of Dog Boy and The Last Garden.

'The long-awaited new novel from one of our finest writers.' The Australian

'A masterpiece.' Guardian

Gem and Will grow up on a farm above the chasm and pool known as the Minstrels, a site where both are broken, each by the other. One will disappear. One will, eventually, be transformed.

Through her encounters with people and through art, land and language, Gem is remade while the world outside changes and time runs out.

This long-awaited new novel from one of our finest writers is a sweeping epic set in literal and figurative blight in a fictional Australian geography; a work of self, time and the very end of something. Wild, mythic and potent, The Minstrels is an apocalyptic redemption fable that weaves the history and probable fate of the world into the life of one woman.

'Hornung is a beautiful writer' Michael Robotham, ABC RN

'Utterly gripping...a compelling read.' Conversation

'This novel had such a tender beauty in so many moments, that even with the devastation that overshadows the story, the overriding feeling was joy.' Readings

'Hornung has seeded the narrative with complicated issues that bloom, in her characteristically fertile prose, into ambivalent flower.' Age

'An epic...the beauty and playfulness of the prose dazzles, and Gem is an extraordinary creation.' Guardian

'Beautiful....a startlingly original portrait of familial love and grief.' Books+Publishing

'Important, engaging, and intimate...at times heartbreaking, at times really funny. A joy to read and re-read.' Good Reading

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Paperback / softback
ISBN13: 9781923058781
Published: March 2026

Number of pages: 368
Width: 154 mm
Height: 234 mm
Depth: 26 mm

Publisher: Text Publishing