Out of Breath

A compulsive, nail-bitingly tense psychological thriller that takes its readers deep into the heart of a seemingly idyllic intentional community - that proves to be anything but... For readers of Anna Downes' The Safe Place and Sarah Bailey's The Housemate.

Out of Breath is impossible to put down. Electrifying, atmospheric and thrilling with characters that will stay with you. It raises so many questions about belonging, the nature of trauma and the power of community to both heal and destroy. - Eliza Henry-Jones, author of Ache

Jo Ainsley has been running for a long time. From her childhood in small town England to art school in London to the messy end of a relationship in Sydney, Jo has chosen to run again and again, each time moving further from where her troubles began.

This time, her escape will bring her to the remote northwest region of Western Australia, where she must work for 88 days on a farm in order to extend her visa. There she meets an American, Gabe, with whom she has an immediate connection. He tells her of an idyllic off-grid community which seems like a refuge to her. Miserable, desperate and traumatised by a brutal event at the farm, Jo decides to run.

But the paradisal free-diving haven that embraces her without judgement is not all it seems. It harbours some sinister secrets - and so does Gabe. Jo searches for answers, but is she prepared for what she uncovers? She must decide where her loyalties lie and if she is really ready to confront the darkness of her past...

Out of Breath is a dream of a novel: intelligent, captivating, deeply-felt and thrilling, with a setting to lose yourself in. I both tore through the pages, desperate to find out what happens, and languished in the story, never wanting it to end. Wonderful. - Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place