WINNER OF THE 2010 BARBARA JEFFERIS AWARD 'A compelling, beautifully paced story about loss, belonging and how little we really know about the people we love.' Good Reading 'The China Garden propels Kristina Olsson into the front ranks of Australian novelists.' Matthew Condon Laura has returned home for her mother's funeral after years in exile, only to discover her upbringing was based on a lie; elderly Cress, the moral compass of the community, conceals her own vices; while young Abby walks the streets, her bruises wrapped in baggy clothes. When a newborn baby is found abandoned in a backyard, this dramatic event pierces the lives of these three very different women. But it is gentle Kieran, an unlikely guardian, who knows their secrets and watches over them. As their lives collide, what is buried can no longer remain hidden. The China Garden is a captivating story about betrayal and its echoes across generations.