★入圍2016年女性小說獎（Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction）初選！
★《偷書賊》作者Markus Zusak、《凜冬將至》作者Hannah Kent、《茱麗葉》Anne Fortier、《生命中的燦爛時光》作者Jennifer Niven盛讚推薦

An impassioned, charming, and hilarious debut novel about a young woman's coming-of-age, during one of the harshest whaling seasons in the history of New South Wales.

1908: It's the year that proves to be life-changing for our teenage narrator, Mary Davidson, tasked with providing support to her father's boisterous whaling crews while caring for five brothers and sisters in the wake of their mother's death. But when the handsome John Beck-a former Methodist preacher turned novice whaler with a mysterious past-arrives at the Davidson's door pleading to join her father's crews, suddenly Mary's world is upended.

As her family struggles to survive the scarcity of whales and the vagaries of weather, and as she navigates sibling rivalries and an all-consuming first love for the newcomer John, nineteen-year-old Mary will soon discover a darker side to these men who hunt the seas, and the truth of her place among them.

Swinging from Mary's own hopes and disappointments to the challenges that have beset her family's whaling operation, RUSH OH! is an enchanting blend of fact and fiction that's as much the story of its gutsy narrator's coming-of-age as it is the celebration of an extraordinary episode in history.

 

Shirley Barrett is best known for her work as a screenwriter and director. Shirley's first film, Love Serenade, won the Caméra d'Or (Best First Feature) at Cannes Film Festival in 1996. In 2010, the script for her film South Solitary won the Queensland Premier's Prize and the West Australian Premier's Prize. Rush Oh! is Shirley's first novel. She lives in Sydney, Australia.

 

"Beautiful and brutal, witty and kind, RUSH OH! is a story of great surprises and a beating heart--a book to never forget."―Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief

"Hugely funny and peopled with a cast of characters I came to treasure like my own friends, RUSH OH! reminded me why I love reading."―Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites

"Shirley Barrett is a mastermind and RUSH OH! is a masterpiece. It's human, heart-stopping, heart-warming, and hilarious, and I fell instantly, lastingly in love."―Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places and The Ice Master

"A heart-warming, beautifully written story of an unusual young woman who prevails against all odds. Colorful characters and exquisite humor bring to life a near-forgotten world of hard work and modest hopes-a world we must not allow ourselves to forget. Fans of Jane Austen will love the playful energy of the book, and so will anyone looking for a unique, inspiring read. Shirley Barrett is a masterful storyteller."―Anne Fortier, author of Juliet and The Lost Sisterhood

"Drolly tart and unsentimental.... Prickly yet endearing Mary is the star.... Yes, there's a lot of whaling talk, but with a narrator reminiscent of Jo March, the sensibility here is more akin to Little Women than Moby-Dick."―Kirkus Reviews