New fiction from Barbara Kingsolver, Colm Tóibín and Ayad Akhtar

This week, Kate and Cassie are joined by regulars Hannah Kent and Tom Wright to discuss three books that echo one another across themes of art, beauty, family and transformation.

In Barbara Kingsolver's Partita, a young woman longs to escape her small town and difficult mother through music (and there are dogs and an accident); Ayad Akhtar's The Radiance follows a man whose vivid, radiant life is shaped by music and ambition (and there’s a terrible accident); And in Colm Tóibín's The Bridge, a son and father navigate change, possibility and belonging in a new world (accompanied by a whole pack of dogs).

Plus, voting may have closed for The Bookshelf's Top 100 Australian Books, but we're still taking inspiration from readers' recommendations. Actor, writer and trans activist Zoe Terakes joins us to share their three favourite Australian books.

Featured books

Barbara Kingsolver, Partita, Faber

Colm Toíbín, The Bridge, Picador

Ayad Akhtar, The Radiance, Summit

Zoe Terakes' Top 3

Christos Tsiolkas , Loaded

Chelsea Watego, Another Day in the Colony

Timothy Conigrave, Holding the Man

Other Books mentioned