ArtsHub reflects back on the year to see which Australian books reviewed by our stable of writers received five stars. Here are 17 that took out top billing. From feminism to chronic disease, climate change, mental health, Indigenous identity and mature love, the themes explored in these books are eclectic and wide-ranging.
Body Friend by Katherine Brabon (Ultimo)
A novel about living with chronic illness, an autoimmune disease, Body Friend is nuanced and intertextual, referencing both Frida Kahlo and Sylvia Plath among other artists. Ellie Fisher said, ‘In Brabon’s hands, suffering is never dismissed; rather, it opens a space that is transformative, tender and contemplative.’
