Kate Kemp - The Grapevine

Title: The Grapevine
Author: Kate Kemp
ISBN: 9781801109483

A compelling debut novel set in 1979 Australia, delving into suburban secrets, societal prejudices, and the complexities of community dynamics.​

In the sweltering summer of 1979, the residents of Warrah Place, a quiet cul-de-sac in Canberra, are jolted by the gruesome murder of their neighbor, Antonio Marietti. As whispers spread and suspicions mount, twelve-year-old Tammy, driven by curiosity and a desire for acceptance, embarks on her own investigation. Through her eyes, we uncover the hidden lives and simmering tensions among the neighbors, each harboring secrets behind closed doors. Kemp masterfully portrays a community where prejudice, suspicion, and the veneer of suburban respectability intersect, leading to unexpected and thought-provoking revelations. ​

Read if you like: Liane Moriarty, Celeste Ng, Ann Patchett, Jane Harper​ 

'Kemp re-creates 1970s Canberra with deft elegance, triggering a time-travelling sensory overload with her prose . . . The result is a novel that doesn't just inhabit its time but dissects it with the keen curiosity of an anthropologist ready to catalogue its secrets.' THE SATURDAY PAPER

'a sensational study of characters, culture clashes, identity and the quest for change, with a murder backdrop' HERALD SUN

'Kemp is deft at crafting credible and complex suspects amid a 1970s suburban milieu that plays to nostalgia and pierces it, too.' THE SATURDAY AGE

'An atmospheric, slow-burn mystery with an unanticipated twist, more satisfying for drawing out the darkness and disorder under the prim veneer of suburban life' WA TODAY

'The Grapevine was a joy to read. Its flowing, witty prose and deft characterisation transported me effortlessly into a small suburban street in 1970s Australia' DIANNE YARWOOD

'With a youthful (and wilful) detective reminiscent of Tippy Chan from RWR McDonald's The Nancys and the heady nostalgia of Holly Throsby's Clarke, Kemp's debut is an engrossing slice of deceptive life.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING