MURMURATIONS
20th April 2020
Murmurations, a novella in eight stories, was shortlisted for the 2021 Christina Stead Fiction Prize. It was exciting to be shortlisted in the company of writers such as Evie Wyld, Charlotte Wood, and Kate Grenville.
Murmurations was also shortlisted for the Fiction Prize in the 2022 South Australian Festival Awards for Literature.
The epigraph in the book comes from a scientific paper on the movements of starling flocks, and when I chose it I had no idea how uniquely applicable it would become to the strange time we are living through right now.
'The change in the behavioural state of one animal affects and is affected by that of all other animals in the group, no matter how large the group is.'
Lives merge and diverge; they soar and plunge, or come to rest in impenetrable silence. Erris Cleary's absence haunts the pages, a woman who complicates other lives yet confers unexpected blessings. Fly far, be free, urges Erris. Who can know why she smashes mirrors? Who can say why she does not heed her own advice?
'With beautiful, clear-eyed insight, Murmurations charts lives edging towards revelation or despair. The women at the heart of these stories have the poise and mystery of figures in paintings. We're drawn into intimacy with them through the grace of Carol Lefevre's benevolent vision and quietly assured prose.' Michelle de Kretser'Beautifully conceived and composed, Murmurations presents a series of stories that intriguingly fold into each other. There is not a false note here, not a single word out of place, not one detail that is irrelevant. By the end of the novella, the hidden griefs, fears and desires of people who are connected but emotionally estranged are revealed in such subtle, unexpected ways, you will want to re-read it straight away, and then again, and again.' Debra Adelaide
Published in 2020, the release of Murmurations coincided with the arrival of Covid, so the launch had to be cancelled. Instead, I was invited by Matilda Bookshop in Stirling to make a zoom reading to circulate to their readers. You can access the reading here.
Murmurations can be ordered from your local bookshop, or direct from Spinifex Press.
