The Truth About Her

How can you write other people's stories when you won't admit the truth of your own? An absorbing, moving, ruefully tender, witty and wise novel of marriage, motherhood and the paths we navigate through both, for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler.

'I loved The Truth About Her. It's an intelligent, compelling, nuanced tale of guilt, culpability, pride, shame and atonement. But most of all, it's a love letter to daughters, from the mothers who raise them. An astoundingly good debut.' — Annabel Crabb

Journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton receives a phone call one summer morning and discovers that Tracey Doran, a 25-year-old wellness blogger she investigated, has killed herself overnight. Horrified by the news, Suzy copes in the only way she knows how – through work, mothering, and continuing with her ill-advised, tandem affairs.

The consequences of her actions catch up with Suzy during a sticky Sydney summer. She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and is pursued by Tracey's mother, who wants her, as a kind of rough justice, to tell Tracey's story the right way.

A tender, absorbing, intelligent and moving exploration of guilt, shame, female anger, and mothering with all its troubles and treasures, The Truth About Her is ultimately a story about the nature of stories – who owns them, who gets to tell them, and why we need them. It is a striking, stylish and contemporary novel from a talented new writer.

PRAISE FOR The Truth About Her

'Heartfelt, funny and will resonate with many readers. This tender, witty and beautifully written novel is for fans of Georgia Blain, Charlotte Wood and Ann Patchett.' — Books+Publishing

'An intimate world filled with characters I could have lived with a great deal longer... rewarding, enjoyable and utterly addictive.' — Readings

'A stunning novel, sharply observed, beautifully written, enthralling.' — Julia Baird

'Read the first sentence of Jacqueline Maley's debut novel, and you will be in it until the end. Electrifying, deeply unsettling and so, so satisfying. And, if you've ever tried to manage the sharp end of a career with the blunt demands of parenthood, fiercely recognisable.' — Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss

'I loved The Truth About Her. I could not put it down — whip-smart, sexy and with so much heart — and god, that ending packed a punch. The sort of book that all mothers need to read.' — Eliza Henry-Jones, author of In the Quiet and Ache

SHORTLISTED, ABIA LITERARY FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022

SHORTLISTED, MATT RICHELL NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR, 2022