Devotion

BOOKTOPIA'S FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2021Prussia, 1836Hanne Nussbaum is a child of nature - she would rather run wild in the forest than conform to the limitations of womanhood. In her village of Kay, Hanne is friendless and considered an oddity . . . until she meets Thea.Ocean, 1838The Nussbaums are Old Lutherans, bound by God's law and at odds with their King's order for reform. Forced to flee religious persecution the families of Kay board a crowded, disease-riddled ship bound for the new colony of South Australia. In the face of brutal hardship, the beauty of whale song enters Hanne's heart, along with the miracle of her love for Thea. Theirs is a bond that nothing can break.The whale passed. The music faded.South Australia, 1838A new start in an old land. God, society and nature itself decree Hanne and Thea cannot be together. But within the impossible . . . is devotion.WINNER FOR THE ABIA AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR 2022SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS FICTION 2022SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA LITERARY FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARDS FICTION 2022LONGLISTED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK DESIGN AWARDS 2022 BEST DESIGNED LITERARY FICTION COVERLONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 VOSS LITERARY PRIZEPraise for Devotion'Devotion is utterly original. A glorious, heartbreaking love story of infinite beauty.' - Heather Rose'Hannah Kent's latest novel is stunning - full of magic and adventure. I fell in love with language again reading it. So beautiful and so raw. Devotion is impossibly good.' - Evie Wyld'Such a glorious love story. And the poetry of the landscape had, for me, a Whitmanesque sensibility. A mighty impassioned cry to love and the land.' - Sarah Winman'Devotion is rare and exquisite, both beautiful and muscular in its portrayal of love found and denied. It's a story of love as a radical act, and a celebration of place and persistence. As we've come to expect from Kent, this is masterful storytelling with pull-no-punches stakes. It's taken root in my heart.' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave'I absolutely love this book. Hannah Kent writes some of the most transcendently beautiful prose I've ever read.' - Magda Szubanski'Devotion is a rich, often surprising novel, written with the sort of prosody poets like me are always seeking.' - The Conversation

When Hanne meets Thea, her life suddenly makes sense. They live in Kay, a tight-knit community of devout Lutherans who have been shunned for their beliefs. Both girls, on the cusp of adulthood, are outsiders. Hanne prefers the wild beauty of nature to the stifling and conservative future laid out in front of her. Thea's family is new to the village, and her mother in particular is viewed with suspicion; some of the women think she is a hexe-a witch. Hannah Kent's third novel, Devotion, tells the bittersweet and tender story of Hanne and Thea's blossoming relationship, set against their community's migration from Prussia to the hills of South Australia. Like her previous two novels, Devotion is set in the 1800s, and Kent's dedication to research and keen eye for historical detail mean the reader is immersed in a rich, vibrant and fully realised world. The book's structure is masterfully used to play into reader expectations before subverting them. Kent conjures up images and emotions vividly, but there isn't a single sentence that could be easily cut. She gently explores themes of love, duty, jealousy, colonisation, and the push and pull between humans and the natural world. Devotion is tinged with the supernatural and takes unexpected turns, pushing against genre conventions while laying out a sweet, tragic but also surprisingly joyous tale. Elizabeth Flux is a freelance writer and editor.

Hannah Kent's first novel, the multi award winning international bestseller, Burial Rites, was translated into over 30 languages and is being adapted for film. Her second novel, The Good People was translated into 10 languages, nominated for numerous awards and is also being adapted for film. Devotion, her third novel, published in 2021, won Booktopia's Favourite Australian Book, and was shortlisted for multiple industry awards. Her original feature film, Run Rabbit Run, was directed by Daina Reid and starred Sarah Snook. Hannah is also the co-founder of Kill Your Darlings, and has written for The New York Times, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, Meanjin, Qantas Magazine and LitHub. She lives and works on Peramangk and Kaurna country.

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