Dice

Dice has a forensic depth that is compelling, that challenges and deeply moves the reader. But what sets this novel apart is the precision and power of the writing. This is fiction that doesn't want to be journalism; it affirms the truth and nuance and possibility of imagination. — Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap.

Four teenage boys invent a sex game based on the toss of a dice. The police charge them with multiple sexual offences against three teenage girls.

Twelve jurors must work out what actually happened.

How does the jury find?

Dice is a stunning courtroom drama told from the perspective of a diverse group of ordinary people – the jury. How will twelve women and men of different ages, backgrounds and beliefs decide whether consent was given or crimes were committed?

In this dazzlingly accomplished and gripping debut novel, the story is told through the eyes of each juror as the trial unfolds and evidence is presented, withheld, fragmented and retold by different witnesses.

Will the verdict deliver justice or punish the innocent? Where does the truth lie?

Dice achieves what the best fiction achieves: it draws us into the story on a deeply personal level, coaxing us to consider what we would do in the same situation ... the moving and powerful final moment delivers a sense of narrative completion while also reminding us of the flawed nature of the justice system. — Catherine Chidgey, award-winning author of Remote Sympathy.

An utterly compelling, nuanced and appropriately complex read that effortlessly depicts the unique combination of the sensational and the mundane, which often characterises the criminal trial. — Professor Vanessa Munro, Warwick University.