‘Bold, furious, unapologetic and deeply insightful’
Sofie Laguna, author of Infinite Splendours
Nic is a middle-aged, lifelong-and-proud checkout chick, an amateur nail artist and fairy godmother to the neighbourhood's stray cats. She's also the owner of a decade's worth of daily newspapers, enough clothes and shoes to fill Big W three times over and a pen collection which, if laid end-to-end, would probably circle her house twice.
The person she's closest to in the world is her beloved niece Lena, who she meets for lunch every Sunday. One day Nic fails to show up. When Lena travels to her aunt's house to see if Nic's all right, she gets the shock of her life, and sets in train a series of events that will prove cataclysmic for them both.
By the acclaimed author of An Isolated Incident, Love Objects is a clear-eyed, heart-wrenching and deeply compassionate novel about love and family, betrayal and forgiveness, and the things we do to fill our empty spaces.
SHORTLISTED: Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Australian Book Industry Awards 2022
SHORTLISTED: Margaret & Colin Roderick Literary Award, Foundation for Australian Literary Studies, 2022
LONGLISTED: Fiction Book of the Year, Indie Book Awards 2022
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2022
“One of the most compelling elements of this accomplished book is Maguire’s ability to completely inhabit a character.”
“Fierce, insightful and deeply moving, Love Objects offers readers a gritty and honest look at contemporary Australia, examining issues of class, and privacy – particularly in the digital space. It’s a brilliant and big-hearted novel from Emily Maguire and is one of my favourite reads so far this year.”
“Love Objects speaks to the complex intersections between class, mental health, shame, age and the female body, and the way we navigate these topics within the intimate confines of family. Nic and Lena are fully realised – imperfect, complicated creations who are able to navigate the unintended consequences of their good intentions. Maguire’s latest novel is clear-eyed and hopeful – a case study in the deeply human desire to connect.”