Mother’s Day books guide

Literary

A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson, Bloomsbury Circus

Escape to the idyllic Greek island of Hydra in this mesmerising novel by UK novelist and lyricist Polly Samson. Following the death of their mother, siblings Erica and Bobby head to this remote corner of paradise where they dive into the arty set – which includes her mum’s great mates, famous Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston, and a bohemian circle of friends. At the heart of the group is charismatic Norwegian writer Axel Jensen and his wife, Marianne, who catches the eye of a young poet, Leonard Cohen. For fans of the ’60s’ music icon this is a glorious chance to bathe in nostalgia; it’s also a beautifully written tale, deftly combining real-life people in a fictional plot that quivers in the heat of a Greek summer.

THE SALT MADONNA by Catherine Noske, Picador

Chesil is a remote fictional island off the coast of Western Australia, where creeping economic collapse and an exodus of young people have brought dark times. Hannah, our narrator, managed to get out but then came back to nurse her dying mother and is now working as a teacher. Her childhood community is falling apart at the seams, the men out of work, children with no direction and an underbelly of violence threatening. This is a powerful, evocative tale set against a rugged landscape watched