The Story Thief

'Kyra Geddes deftly weaves literature, history, and the possibility of truth to give the Drover's Wife a name. In doing so, she invites us to imagine the lives of other women whose stories have been told by men.' Pip Williams

'Brimming with evocative, authentic detail, The Story Thief brings a fresh, feminist perspective to Australian literature and art. Australian historical fiction at its finest.' Liane Moriarty

'A richly textured and immersive novel filled with defining moments, minute detail and compelling insights into the meaning of loss, love and family.' Nicole Alexander

'Vividly drawn - a delightful book.' Wendy Sharpe, multi-award winning Australian artist

Her family's story made Henry Lawson famous. But was it his story to tell?
Fact and fiction meld into one in this stirring family saga set against shifting landscapes and pivotal moments in Australian history.

Lillian was born in 1892, the same year Henry Lawson wrote 'The Drover's Wife' and cemented his place in Australia's literary canon. When Lillian reads the short story as a teenager, she is convinced that it is based upon her own family and becomes determined to prove it. But as the years pass, the truth becomes more problematic, and Lillian must decide what is more important: holding onto the past or embracing the future.

The Story Thief is about mothers and daughters, love, loss and the power of words. Ultimately it is about how each of us must find our own way to live.

'Vividly drawn - a delightful book.' Wendy Sharpe, multi-award winning Australian artist

'The Story Thief is a finely wrought historical novel about those who have been seen, but not seen, in Australian literature and in life.' Ryan O'Neill, author of The Drover's Wives

'Kyra Geddes artfully weaves literature and history into an epic Australian novel.' David Hunt, author of the Girt series

'A sweeping tale'. - Meredith Jaffe

'It's an ambitious, expansive but well-paced debut novel, with appealing characters and a boldly imagined historical canvas'. - The Age/Sydney Morning Herald

'A stirring drama'. - Take 5 Magazine


'Deeply moving and subverting.' - A Home in the Outback

Born in Adelaide as the daughter of German immigrants, Kyra Geddes spent her infancy in the South Australian opal fields before moving to Sydney. Following a successful career in marketing, Kyra returned to university to study English and pursue her life-long dream of writing, publishing two short stories and earning the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence. The Story Thief is her debut novel, and the culmination of almost a decade of research and writing. When not at her desk, Kyra can often be found visiting one of Sydney's many art galleries or daydreaming about future travel with her husband and two children.

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