Hilde Hinton

From the bestselling author of THE LOUDNESS OF UNSAID THINGS comes a compelling new novel that illuminates the joys and sorrows of an ordinary life and delivers profound insights into human nature. 'She glanced back at the sleeping boy on the back seat and flashing blue and red lights caught her eye in the rear vision mirror. A police car pulled up behind her. There was nowhere to go. What had she done?'Rose knows that she should be happy. She has a thoughtful son, a kind boss and a dream box full of savings for a rainy day. But sometimes the brick in her chest gets so heavy that it's all she can do to simply watch the minutes tick by on the oven clock. Things change when a stranger arrives. Rose can't believe that someone like Ellie would want to be her friend. Ellie always knows what to do. She is bright and shiny and so caring. With Ellie by her side, things feel possible again, and Rose starts to remember who she is. Soon, she can't imagine how it was without Ellie there. Sometimes, all you need is one friend to change your life. Because the best things in life are free. Aren't they? A novel about discovering that what you need is often right in front of you. And that friendship can hide many truths. 'In her third novel, Hilde Hinton delicately confronts the complexities of motherhood and friendships . . . [Her] strength lies in her ability to create characters who feel remarkably familiar, holding up a mirror to the reader and telling us something about ourselves. Fans of Kim Lock's The Other Side of Beautiful will enjoy this important story about finding your way back to yourself.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING'Hilde Hinton has written another gentle and perceptive look at the travails of life' THE BOOKLIST'A delight . . . Hinton again demonstrates her talent for exposing her characters' emotions and vulnerability' DAILY TELEGRAPH'A big-hearted novel about friendship and the devastation of betrayal' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY

'My heart grew, then broke, then mended itself. A wise, funny, brave novel and a story that you will never want to forget.' Favel ParrettAn unforgettable story of loneliness, isolation and finding your way. Heart-wrenching, wise and wryly funny, this novel will make you kinder to those who are lost. Miss Kaye works at The Institute. A place for the damaged, the outliers, the not-quite rights. Everyone has different strategies to deal with the residents. Some bark orders. Some negotiate tirelessly. Miss Kaye found that simply being herself was mostly the right thing to do. Susie was seven when she realised she'd had her fill of character building. She'd lie between her Holly Hobbie sheets thinking how slowly birthdays come around, but how quickly change happened. One minute her Dad was saying that the family needed to move back to the city and then, SHAZAM, they were there. Her mum didn't move to the new house with them. And Susie hated going to see her mum at the mind hospital. She never knew who her mum would be. Or who would be there. As the years passed, there were so many things Susie wanted to say but never could. Miss Kaye will teach Susie that the loudness of unsaid things can be music - and together they will learn that living can be more than surviving.

When Samuel Johnson unicycled around Australia, he met some awesome people. And before we had to lock down, he and his other sister, Hilde, were travelling the country talking at schools, community groups and at the side of busy streets to spread their message about how to kick cancer in the face hole. But in the process they connected and listened as people shared their own stories - not just about how cancer impacted them, but about love, fighting fires, making families out of choice not blood, knitting, being there and being surprised by life and finding solace from strangers. They decided those stories should be shared and the idea for Heroes Next Door was born. The result is a moving, funny, irreverent, inspiring and big-hearted book that shows us all that resilience and kindness are what make the difference, and that you don't have to travel far to find good people ... often they are right next door.

'My heart grew, then broke, then mended itself. A wise, funny, brave novel and a story that you will never want to forget.' Favel ParrettAn unforgettable story of loneliness, isolation and finding your way. Heart-wrenching, wise and wryly funny, this novel will make you kinder to those who are lost. Miss Kaye works at The Institute. A place for the damaged, the outliers, the not-quite rights. Everyone has different strategies to deal with the residents. Some bark orders. Some negotiate tirelessly. Miss Kaye found that simply being herself was mostly the right thing to do. Susie was seven when she realised she'd had her fill of character building. She'd lie between her Holly Hobbie sheets thinking how slowly birthdays come around, but how quickly change happened. One minute her Dad was saying that the family needed to move back to the city and then, SHAZAM, they were there. Her mum didn't move to the new house with them. And Susie hated going to see her mum at the mind hospital. She never knew who her mum would be. Or who would be there. As the years passed, there were so many things Susie wanted to say but never could. Miss Kaye will teach Susie that the loudness of unsaid things can be music - and together they will learn that living can be more than surviving.