Our Magic Hour

‘All the rapture and calamity of youth. Jennifer Down is a writer of rare insight and heart.’ * Carrie Tiffany *
‘Intimate, raw and occasionally heartbreaking…I loved this book. Down is an exceptional writer…Our Magic Hour is beautiful, gut-wrenching fiction and I cannot recommend it highly enough.’ * Readings *
‘Down has perfectly captured the vulnerability of youth…An incredibly intimate and tender novel about friendship, family and the transformative power of grief…It is easily one of the best Australian debuts I’ve read in a long time.’ * Lip Mag *
‘A gritty, evocative story…Unconventional and intimate, Our Magic Hour is a must-read.’ * Canberra Weekly *
‘Down’s novel is a story about very small things, that all add up to very big things about grief and friendship, love and death…Down has an impressive feel for the drama of the ordinary.’ * Age/Sydney Morning Herald *
‘If Helen Garner turned her razor-sharp eye to a new generation, Our Magic Hour might be the result. Down unravels the self-obsession and shortsightedness of youth with insight and affection, and turns the grit of modern twenty-something life—breakups, breakdowns, new jobs and new towns—into something profound, beautiful and hopeful.’ * Junkee *
‘Down has a reserved but beautiful prose…In its maturity and elegance, Our Magic Hour is a surprising and captivating debut novel. I have no doubt that Down will produce more quality writing in the future.’ * Farrago *
‘Down’s preoccupations are those of a young adult grappling with heavy issues, and she does so admirably…Our Magic Hour takes place in a lively, vivid Melbourne cityscape’ * Otago Daily Times *
‘Striking, breathlessly written…Down’s clear and confident voice can play originally with language…An eloquent debut.’ * WA Today *
‘Down’s supple social realism has a vitality and energy to it…This is real writing about real people in a real place…I’m sure that Down will be a fixture in the Australian lit scene for years to come.’ * Lifted Brow *
‘A vivid portrait of our city and its inhabitants.’ * Weekly Review *
‘An impressive and emotionally sophisticated novel.’ * Australian Book Review *
‘Down’s evocation of Audrey’s grief is astute, perceptive and always convincing…It’s compelling writing.’ * Australian *
‘Beautifully written, it looks at grief and loss in a raw and honest way.’ * Big Book Club *
‘Down’s depiction of modern Melbourne is so familiar and evocative that I felt like I’d bumped into her characters at the café just the day before. For a book so infused with grief and longing, the sheer amount of love and depth of feeling in the novel made me yearn for everything and nothing all at once, and has stayed with me throughout the year.’ * 2016 Staff Picks, Kill Your Darlings *
‘Down writes equally of significant moments and unremarkable days with sparing beauty. Particularly adept at depiction of place, Down made me wonder if I hadn’t sat across from Audrey on the train to Redfern, bumped elbows with her at a bar in Bondi. Down is the kind of writer that you’ll be lucky to get on at the ground floor with, she is only going up.’ * Concrete Playground *
‘A raw novel about growing up in a world that never seems to make any sense…this novel manages to neatly capture that universal malaise felt by terrified millennials all over the world.’ * Vice *
‘A masterclass in elegant understatement…A very fine novel indeed—compassionate, clear-sighted and lovely.’ * A Life in Books *
‘Down’s prose is sharp and intimate, the characters flawed and achingly familiar. For a book about mourning, it’s not overly sentimental or indulgent. Instead, the characters’ grief is ugly and bewildering. Our Magic Hour is a compelling, authentic portrayal of loss, dislocation and the unsteadiness of young adult life.’ * Good Reading *

Jennifer Down is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in publications including the Age, Saturday Paper, Australian Book Review and Overland. She is one of Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Novelists of the Year, 2017. Our Magic Hour, her debut novel, was shortlisted for the 2014 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript. She lives in Melbourne.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.