The Hummingbird Effect

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Description

An epic, kaleidoscopic story of four women connected across time and place by an invisible thread and their determination to shape their own stories, from the acclaimed author of The Mother Fault.

Longlisted for the Stella Prize 2024
Longlisted for theIndie Book Awards 2024
Sydney Morning Herald Best Reads of the Year for 2023

One of the lucky few with a job during the Depression, Peggysjuststarting out in life. Shes a bagging girl atthe Angliss meatworks in Footscray, a place buzzing with life as well as death, where the gun slaughterman Jack has caught her eye and she his.

How is her life connected to Hildas, almost a hundred years later,lockedinside during a plague, or Las, further on again, asingerworking shifts in a warehouse as hereggs are frozen and hervoice is used by AI bots Let alone Maz, far removed in time, diving for remnants of a past that must be destroyed Is it by the river that runs through their stories, eternal yet constantly changing or by the mysterious HummingbirdProject, and the great question of whether the march of progress can ever be reversed

Propulsive, tender and engrossing, this genre-bending novel is a feast for the heart as well as the mind and senses. For fans of David Mitchells Cloud Atlas, Michelle de Kretsers The Life to Come and Jennifer Egans The Candy House, it confirms Mildenhall as one of the most ambitious and dynamic writers in the country.

'Kate Mildenhall is such an exciting writer to read This generous, playful novel speaks to themes of climate change, survival and holding space for each other, as well as the enduring power of female friendship.' The Guardian

Spellbinding, genre-defying, and powerful in its vision of the future The Hummingbird Effect is a devastating novel that exposes the ways the future is seeded in the past.Australian Book Review

Reviews

'A timeless and timely exploration of our capacities to destroy and to love, and of the stories that connect us and might even save us. In this powerful and dazzling book, Kate Mildenhall brilliantly pushes language to its limits and asks, Whats worth savingThe Hummingbird Effectis an urgent, gorgeous, thrilling, page turner. A must read!' -- Sarah Sentilles, author of Stranger Care: A Memoir of Loving What Isnt Ours
'A stunning and intricate novel, masterfully braiding the lives of its characters across time. Vivid, inventive, tender a beautifully rendered mosaic of a book. With luminous prose linking past and future, The Hummingbird Effect is brilliant storytelling at its best.' -- Else Fitzgerald, author of Everything Feels Like the End of the World
Reading The Hummingbird Effect is like navigating rapids: you dont know whats going to happen next or when youre going to come up for air. A remarkable achievement. I couldnt put it down. -- Sophie Cunningham, author of This Devastating Fever
'Such an astounding and accomplished novel. It was an absolute joy to read. Simply put, I loved it.' -- Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
'Kate Mildenhall orchestrates this shape-shifting novel with extraordinary flair. Her imaginative range is astonishing. The Hummingbird Effect is audacious fiction that engages wisely and tenderly with pressing concerns.' -- Michelle de Kretser, author ofScary Monsters
'Original, mind-bending and beautifully written. These characters, connected across time and place, are absolutely alive on the page. Together, their stories reveal the reverberating consequences of violence for us and our planet, and the redeeming power of love in all its forms.' -- Inga Simpson, author ofWillowman
'This book digs deep into the universality of love, family, hardship, sisterhood, plague, disruption and, above all, connection and empowerment. Experimental, mind-bending, provocative.' -- Karen Viggers, author of The Lightkeepers Wife
'Cormac McCarthy meets Geraldine Brooks, Peter Carey meets Elizabeth Gilbert, The Hummingbird Effect is an ambitious, defiant, electrifying juggernaut. Kate Mildenhall cements her status as a titan of Australian literature by raising the bar to dizzying heights. An incredible achievement. I didnt want it to end.' -- Chris Flynn, author ofMammoth
'I loved this book. It is urgent and questioning, concerned but ultimately hopeful. The writing remembers our past, honours our present and imagines our future. It is often sublime and sometimes astonishing. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.' -- Pip Williams, author ofThe Bookbinder of Jericho
Kate Mildenhall has outrageous confidence in her sparkling narrative, in her capabilities. As she should. This is a profound conversation about all those things we put-off talking about, seen in the context of the past, the present and the future. * Sydney Morning Herald *
Spellbinding, genre-defying, and powerful in its vision of the future The Hummingbird Effect is a devastating novel that exposes the ways the future is seeded in the past. * Australian Book Review *
'Kate Mildenhall is such an exciting writer to read This generous, playful novel speaks to themes of climate change, survival and holding space for each other, as well as the enduring power of female friendship.' * The Guardian *
'It's a blinder . . . I read it sideways and with clenched teeth.' -- Helen Garner, author of Everywhere I Look
'The Hummingbird Effect is deeply grounded in place and character, and speaks to the interdependence of all living things. Mildenhall writes about these women and their relationships with empathy, wit, and ferocity. An exquisite, unforgettable read.' -- Grace Chan, author of Every Version of You
'The Hummingbird Effect is exceptional. Both highly creative and hugely readable, I loved it.' -- Jane Harper, author of The Dry

Author Bio

Kate Mildenhall is a writer and teacher. Her debut novel, Skylarking, was named in Readings Top Ten Fiction Books of 2016 and her bestselling The Mother Fault was longlisted for the 2021 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year and shortlisted for the 2020 Aurealis Awards. Kate teaches creative writing and co-hosts The First Time podcast which features conversations with Australian writers and is currently undertaking a PhD in creative practice at RMIT University. Kate lives in Hurstbridge on Wurundjeri lands, with her partner and two children. Kates third novel is The Hummingbird Effect. Find out more about Kate at katemildenhall.com or connect via Twitter (@katemildenhall), Instagram (@kmildenhall) or Facebook (facebook.com/katemildenhallwriter).