Fiona Kelly McGregor
Iris
Pan Macmillan, 2022
Sergeant Lillian Armfield leans forward.
What about Black Ada's, Webber? I know you two went there. What sort of people go there?
Iris smiles.
The sort of people you coppers like to bash.
In late 1932, Iris Webber arrives in Sydney looking for work but the city is still in the grip of the Depression and there are few jobs for women at the best of times. She makes her way as best she can: a scam here, a shoplift there, busking with an accordion. And she knows how to use a gun.
When Iris meets young sex worker Maisie Matthews, everything changes. But what options are there in a world where even on the margins, queer desire is harshly punished? The only way forward is paved with violence.
Whip smart, resolute, a woman far ahead of her time, Iris navigates these mean streets with a growing awareness not just of herself, but also of the system enclosing her: narrow, corrupt, brutally prejudiced. Yet there is still joy to be had, sometimes even transcendence.
From acclaimed best-selling author of Indelible Ink comes another great novel of the city. Peeling back the layers of history, McGregor weaves a teeming social portrait of schemers, gamblers, goodtime girls, gangsters and sly-groggers. Based on actual events, narrated in gritty lyrical prose, Iris is a dazzling literary achievement from one of Australia's most exciting writers. Iris's voice will hypnotise you.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ALS GOLD MEDAL 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE ADULT CATEGORY 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE STELLA PRIZE 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE ABDA BOOK DESIGN AWARDS 2023 BEST DESIGNED LITERARY FICTION COVER
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKPEOPLE ADULT FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
About the Author
Fiona Kelly McGregor has published eight books, most recently the photoessay A Novel Idea, and essay collection Buried Not Dead, which was shortlisted for the Victorian Premiers Literary Awards. Other books include short story collection Suck My Toes/Dirt which won the Steele Rudd Award, and the underground classic chemical palace. Her novel Indelible Ink won Age Book of the Year and was published in French translation by Actes-Sud. McGregor is also known for a substantial repertoire of performance art, which has been seen internationally. She has held residencies at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, Carriageworks, Sydney, and the BR Whiting Studio, Rome. When in Sydney, McGregor lives and works on Gadigal land.