The Pyramid of Needs

Linda Taylor is livestreaming her glamourous life as an alternative health guru when she trips over in front of her followers ? and can't get up. When Linda's children, Jack and Alice, find out she's broken her hip and can't care for their ailing father or pay her bills, they decide to help. There's just one problem: Jack hasn't spoken to Linda since he came out as a trans man over a decade ago.

As the family gets together in Noosa and thunder clouds gather overhead, will family ties be enough to disentangle years of hurt, prejudice and pyramid-scheme brainwashing? Or will Jack have to cancel his mother for good?

The Pyramid of Needs is a dark, wry and deeply illuminating examination of family dynamics in a world full of division and misinformation.

'This shockingly funny novel features some of the sharpest and most pitch-dark humour I've read in years. I couldn't look away as this family of narcissists explodes like a flaming asteroid with a social media following. The Pyramid of Needs will have you turning pages faster than you usually doomscroll the internet. What a debut!' - Emily Bitto


'Price's spectacular debut novel The Pyramid of Needs is a page turner start to finish. This book sits in a growing cannon of trans writing that exists outside of the 'coming-of-age' narrative and reflects more three-dimensionality and nuance. Price is a brilliant writer who introduces compelling and varied characters, all of whom I felt I knew personally. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.' - Nevo Zisin

'The Pyramid of Needs is a contemporary, insightful tragedy that makes you laugh-out-loud. It's hard edged and soft-hearted. Is Queensland Noir a thing? It should be, and Ernest Price is its king. A stunning debut.' - Sophie Cunningham

'A sharp and funny skewering of the wellness industry and social-media influencers, who somehow manage to live in fact-free zones. It's a timely read, given our changing times'. - Toni Jordan

Ernest Price is a transgender man working as a secondary English teacher in Naarm/Melbourne. His writing has been published by Queerstories and Overland.

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