The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean

It's 1944 when bookish, unworldly Emily Dean is shipped off to her relatives in rural Victoria after her mother has a nervous breakdown.

In 1944, Emily Dean is dispatched from Melbourne to stay with her father's relatives in rural Victoria. At the family property of Mount Prospect, Grandmother is determined to keep up standards despite the war, while Emily's young aunt—the beautiful, fearless Lydia—refuses to befriend her. Feeling lonely and isolated, Emily can't wait to go home.

But things start to improve when she encounters Claudio, the Italian prisoner of war employed as a farm labourer. And things become more interesting still when her uncle William returns home wounded. He's rude, traumatised, and mostly drunk, yet a passion for literature soon draws them together.

A delightfully wry novel about desire, deceit, and self-discovery.

The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean

'A resonant and engaging story - illuminating and subtly compelling.' - Rosalie Ham

'A rich evocation of an era and a beautiful insight into the process of emerging from childhood into womanhood. Such a great read!' - Margaret Pomeranz