The Name of the Sister

In this spellbinding new literary novel from award-winning author Gail Jones, the arrival of a mysterious young woman triggers an unstoppable series of events in the nearby town of Broken Hill.

A young woman stumbles onto an outback road at night, and is caught in the headlights of an approaching car. Who is she? Nobody knows, and she has lost the ability to speak. She is rushed to hospital and then exposed to the glare of the TV cameras.

This is how the story of the Unknown Woman begins, setting off a media firestorm that catches the eye of Angie, a freelance journalist and childhood friend of Bev, the police inspector in charge of identifying Jane, as the Unknown Woman is dubbed, and tracking down her assailant. Dozens of people step forward claiming to know Jane and to hold the key to her identity.

Gail Jones's new novel, set in Sydney and the Mars-red landscapes surrounding the remote mining town of Broken Hill, explores how stories about identity and history multiply in the absence of reliable facts. And then the stories redouble once the Unknown Woman is identified and given a name. In an urgent finale that neither of the major characters could have anticipated, contradictory clues will proliferate about the true name of the sister.

Praise for Gail Jones

'Gail Jones is a great writer and this thrilling, intriguing book will delight her admirers but also garner the attention of those yet to discover her.' — Mark Rubbo, Readings

'One of the most important and prolific literary authors working in Australia today.' — Sydney Review of Books

'For decades, Gail Jones has been writing with more intelligence, verve and sensuous delight in the world than most of her peers.' — Saturday Paper, on Salonika Burning

'Jones has to be one of Australia's most consistently impressive writers. Her prose is evocative, her plots meaningful and her characters drawn with considerable care.' — Guardian, on Salonika Burning