SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION

MEET THE EDWARDS FAMILY

Tom Edwards is dying, and cranky. He's made his peace with the dying part. But he'd bet his property - the whole ten thousand acres of it - that there'd be no wailing at his funeral. His kids wouldn't be able to chop down a tree, let alone build a coffin to bury him in.

Then Tom has an idea ...

Christine is furious, David ashen-faced, and Sophie distracted. Only Jenny listens carefully as Vince Barton, of Barton & Sons, reads their father's will. Either they build his coffin - in four days - or they lose their inheritance. All of it.

A perceptive and unforgettable debut novel, The Deed explores the messy, sometimes volatile, complications that only the best and worst of family can bring. Sometimes greed can be good.

'Splendidly told through a rich layering of characterisation . . . Funny, heartfelt and unforgettable' SYDNEY ARTS GUIDE

'From its richly evoked rural landscape to its complex, loveable characters, The Deed is a dazzling debut full of humour and heart about one man's legacy, four fractious siblings and all that can divide or unite a family. This is a wonderful, hugely entertaining, thoroughly Australian novel from an exciting new talent.' HANNAH RICHELL, bestselling author and Richell Prize judge

'A debut novel, yet it's as if Begbie's been honing her skills for the last 20 years and this is the culmination of all she's learned' COUNTRY STYLE

About the Author
Susannah Begbie grew up in rural New South Wales on a sheep farm and is now a GP who has worked all over Australia. In 2006, Susannah started a Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing at Canberra University and was awarded the Editor's Pick for her short story 'Fly to Meet You' in the University's First Anthology. She was also awarded the best-written text for her children's book Don't You Dare! in The Get Real Project. The Deed is her first novel.


Book Information
ISBN 9780733650796
Author Susannah Begbie
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Hachette Australia
Publisher Hachette Australia
Weight(grams) 460g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 152mm * 32mm