Our media, ‘legacy’ and contemporary, saturate us with crises: the cost of living crisis, the illegal migrant crisis, the Ukraine war crisis, the US tariff crisis, the epidemic of thieving crisis, the Scottish drug death crisis, the housing shortage crisis, the terrrorist threat crisis, the environmental damage crisis. Listen to all the dire warnings and you’ll be convinced that societal breakdown and civil war in the UK are on the horizon. How to screen out all this static of gloom? Step into a fictional world for a break.
Reach for a 2025 novel by Kate Kemp. This atmospheric debut is a lively, original murder mystery set in 1970s Australia. The summary is as follows: twelve-year-old Tammy is determined to investigate the murder of Antonio, whose severed foot is intensifying the already choking claustrophobia of a small town community. Beautifully written and acutely observed, this is a story where women of all ages are centre stage and the intertwining relationships between families, friends and neighbours drive a story that’s packed with tension and intrigue.
Enjoy the witty prose and convincing characterisation of the author. Kate Kemp is an Australian writer living in the UK. She trained as an occupational therapist and then as a systemic psychotherapist, and has worked with families and individuals in mental health services in both Australia and the UK. In 2021, she won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and the Yeovil Literary Prize. The Grapevine is her first novel.
Check if ‘The Grapevine‘ by Kate Kemp is in stock at your local library here Home | South Lanarkshire Libraries (sllclibrary.co.uk)
432 pages in Phoenix
ISBN-13 : 978-1399618977
First published 2025
