Books by Helen Garner

“Helen Garner went to the trial of a man in Australia who stood accused of murdering his sons by driving his car into a dam. He claimed he’d blacked out and that it was an accident, but he was charged with having deliberately killed his children in an act of anger and revenge. Garner documents the trial in great detail, but she’s also documenting the shifting currents of her own feelings about the case, about the man on trial, about his family, his marriage. She seems to almost uncannily intuit the changing moods in the courtroom. It’s very rigorous and very moving.” Read more...

The Best Historical Nonfiction Books

Kate Summerscale, Journalist

“I have to confess that, at first, I was a bit sceptical about this book. It’s 800 pages of her diaries from 1978 to 1998. That’s a lot of words about someone who I didn’t know huge amounts about. But I found it absolutely gripping…There are parts where she is very unsparing of herself. There are some completely embarrassing moments, yet she puts it all out there. I love how novelists in particular—the really good ones—just go to places where mere mortals like me would never go, whether it’s baring their emotions or revealing their inner lives…The moment I finished it, I wanted to read it again.” Read more...

The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist

Robbie Millen, Journalist