Unfolded 2025 summer reading list

Always Will Be by Mykaela Saunders recommended by Laura Jean McKay

Mykaela Saunders Always Will Be is speculative fiction and the short story form at its very best. The collection is set in a Tweed of Goorie sovereignty and depicts Country and characters with so much heart and humour and style. I adore Saunders' work.

The Drowned World by J G Ballard recommended by Chris Flynn

J G Ballard’s dystopian 1962 novel The Drowned World sees a small community of scientists and military types camped out in the upper levels of the Ritz Hotel in a 21st Century version of London that is entirely submerged. The ice-caps have melted, the oceans have risen to reclaim humanity’s cities, and survivors cling tenuously to life in Greenland. The crew spend their days hiding from the oppressive heat and diving to recover artworks and cultural artefacts from London’s sunken museums and galleries. Giant aquatic reptiles are spotted. People wander into the new jungle and are never seen again. The book chronicles mankind’s descent into madness and reversion. Not saying this is a glimpse of our future, but if scuba gear is ever on special at Aussie Disposals, I for one am adding oxygen tanks and flippers to my apocalypse cupboard.

Four Letters of Love and This Is Happiness by Niall Williams recommended by Tony Birch.

I’ll be spending the summer with the Irish novelist Niall Williams. If you want to join me, start where you wish. But please let me suggest two of his best, This Is Happiness and Four Letters of Love. Enjoy.

Ghost Cities by Siang Lu recommended by Seth Robinson

I was late to the party on this one, but I’ve just finished Ghost Cities, the Miles Franklin winner from Siang Lu. This book is like no other I’ve read; it’s funny, compelling, and blurs the boundaries of language and reality. I read the paperback version, but the audiobook is also an ABIA award winner, so it’s a good pick for anyone who needs a new listen after finishing Unfolded.

I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena recommended by Paige Clark

The ending! The ending! This book is funny and well-written the whole way through, but is made in the last ten pages. It's rare that a book leaves me as satisfied, wanting for nothing.

Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett recommended by Miriam Webster

There is a story in Claire-Louise Bennett’s marvellous and somewhat indescribable book Pond called ‘The Gloves Are Off,’ in which the narrator expresses a desire ‘most of all to get inside there’. She means the earth: inside, underneath, where it is passionate and deep. More than anything, this story sparked my first impulse to write ‘Farrow’ – a story about a boy, his grandmother and their complicated relationships to dirt and obligation and to the ground on which they tread and work and live. If you haven’t read Pond I suggest you do so immediately. It completely changed my feelings about fiction. I sometimes think it may have even changed the way I live.