Stillwater Creek Booth, Alison

A woman returns to a remote Australian coastal town carrying secrets that could unravel everything. When Ilona Talivaldis arrives in Jingera in 1961, she's running from a past she can't speak about — and the locals know it. Meanwhile, Zidra Briedis, hidden away at Feryman's Cottage, holds memories of wartime displacement that still haunt her. As their stories collide across time, the truth about what happened in post-war Europe and what's buried in this tight-knit community begins to surface. Alison Booth weaves together dual timelines with precision, exploring migration, trauma, and the lies we tell to survive. The Australian setting — salt air, scrubland, claustrophobic small-town gossip — becomes its own character. For readers who love atmospheric historical fiction with emotional weight and moral complexity. If you're into Kate Grenville or Hannah Kent, this will pull you in.