The Midnight Dress

When a teenage girl disappears, a small town is awash with rumours: everyone is talking about the dress she wore, a midnight-blue dress made from the remnants of other dresses, a dress of stories ... For her whole life, Rose Lovell has moved from town to town with her alcoholic father. When they wash up in a coastal sugarcane town, Rose wonders if this time it will be different. At the local high school, Rose meets Pearl Kelly, who is popular, pretty and intent on tracking down her Russian father. When she convinces Rose to be part of the annual Harvest Parade, Rose must find a special dress for the occasion. She seeks the help of the eccentric Edie Baker, who knows all the town's secrets and whose own family is a rich tapestry of stories. When Rose agrees to let Edie teach her to sew, she doesn't realise that nothing will ever be the same again. The Midnight Dress weaves an intriguing story of loss and longing to the very last page. Praise for The Midnight Dress '...a beautifully crafted story that builds in tension to the final page.' Bookseller + Publisher Praise for The Anatomy of Wings 'There are shades of The Lovely Bones and The Virgin Suicides in this luminous depiction of an Australian family's shock and grief at the sudden death of a fourteen-year-old girl.' The Guardian 'An exceptional novel.' Sydney Morning Herald