Into the Mouth of the Wolf

Part-thriller, part-queer romance, We Were Liars meets Station Eleven in this extraordinary young adult novel about love, grief and climate change from the award-winning author of Amelia Westlake.

★ SHORTLISTED: CBCA Award for Book of the Year for Older Readers
★ SHORTLISTED: DANZ Young Adult Book Award
★ LONGLISTED: Davitt Award for Young Adult Fiction

Dear Iris,

If all goes well I will be in touch by this evening. If you hear nothing, contact Glassy Bay International Travellers’ Hostel and ask after me. Use our real names.

Your Mama xxx

Iris lives on the run with her mother, Rohan. They’re travelling to escape the earthquakes, though of course that’s impossible. And they’re being followed. One day, Rohan insists Iris repeat the phrase in bocca al lupo: into the mouth of the wolf. The next day, Rohan's vanished, leaving no clues about where she’s gone besides a contact in an unknown town. Entirely alone and fearing the worst, Iris reaches out to a stranger for help.

When Lena gets Iris's message, she's busy panic-studying for year 12 and helping run her family’s hostel. She’s intrigued by Iris and can’t deny there’s a spark between them – but she’s also worried. A dead body has just washed up at the beach in Glassy Bay. And Lena’s old best friend – who's just returned after an unexplained absence – seems to know something about it.

Missing people. Mysterious deaths. A growing attraction between two girls caught up in the search for the truth. Somehow, they’re all connected. But in order to find out how – and in order to even meet each other – Iris and Lena will have to go into the mouth of the wolf …

With shades of We Were Liars and Station Eleven, this extraordinary young-adult novel explores love and grief in an uncertain climate from one of Australia's most talented writers.

Read more from Erin Gough:

• Amelia Westlake
• The Flywheel