From the internationally acclaimed and bestselling author of Dirt Music comes an outstanding work of fiction that will resonate with readers everywhere. Here are turnings of all kinds - changes of heart, nasty surprises, slow awakenings, sudden detours - where people struggle against the terrible weight of the past and challenge the lives they've made for themselves. Beautifully crafted, and as tender as they are confronting, these elegiac stories examine the darkness and frailty of ordinary people and celebrate the moments when the light shines through. "As a collection of short stories [The Turning] is magnificent, but it also transcends its form and makes a breathtakingly beautiful and challenging novel." - Australian Bookseller & Publisher "Plot and prose combine to create what might just come close to being the perfect Australian novel." - Herald Sun