When the Night Comes

By: Favel Parrett

Narrated by: Marta Dusseldorp, Ben Winspear

Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

From the award-winning author of Past the Shallows, Favel Parrett, a story about the moments that change us and the moments that save us.

Long-listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2015. Short-listed for the Australian Book Industry Awards 2015, the Indie Books Awards 2015, ALS Gold Medal 2015 and the ABA's Booksellers' Choice Award 2015.

Running away from the mainland was supposed to make their lives better. But for Isla and her brother, their mother's sadness and the cold, damp greyness of Hobart's stone streets seeps into everything. Then, one morning, Isla sees a red ship. That colour lights her day. And when a sailor from the ship befriends her mother, he shares his stories with them all - of Antarctica, his home in Denmark and life onboard. Like the snow-white petrels that survive in the harshest coldest place, this lonely girl at the bottom of the world will learn that it is possible to go anywhere, be anything. But she will also find out that it is just as easy to lose it all. For Isla, those two long summers will change everything.

Favel Parrett delivers an evocative and gently told story about the power fear and kindness have to change lives.

©2014 Favel Parrett (P)2017 Hachette Australia Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"So real, so true - this novel sweeps you away in its tide." (Robert Drewe on Past the Shallows)
"This book is that rare thing, a finely crafted literary novel that is genuinely moving and full of heart." ( The Age on Past the Shallows)
"The gentle power of the narrative carries the conviction of strongly embedded personal experiences.... This book has the same poetic cadences and a simple sophistication of expression that makes it eminently readable. This is an evocative story elegantly told that will have special appeal to those who are seafarers, real or imaginary." ( Sunday Tasmanian)
"If you read only one book this year make sure it's this." ( Sunday Times, Tasmania on Past the Shallows)
"Beautiful, stripped-back prose...there is magic here. Like Cormac McCarthy, Parrett packs a huge emotional punch thanks to the elegant brevity of her style. Stark, but unforgettable...." ( Marie Claire on Past the Shallows)
"Parrett's writing is exquisite in its simplicity and eloquence, and her narrative is heart-rending." ( Kirkus Reviews on Past the Shallows)
" When the Night Comes combines the realism of early David Malouf with the sombre concision of Dorothy Porter, and is skilfully shaped to make the historical feel truly present." ( Books+Publishing)
"Parrett's starkly precise evocation of Tasmania's winter landscape [is] compelling. The book's tragic outcome leaves the reader feeling genuinely bereft...." ( The Guardian on Past the Shallows)