Nicky feels her life is falling apart when she receives an unwanted gift from her estranged mother and is gripped by memories of the months her family spent living on a remote island raucous with birdlife. There'd been a reckoning. Life was never the same afterwards and while for Nicky a falling gum leaf had marked the beginning of a great unravelling, the gift and a phone call in 2000 laid down a challenge.
Beneath the Wild Fig Tree interweaves these two transformative years into a kaleidoscopic coming of age story that unfolds across Sydney, Adelaide and Tasmania. It is a novel that will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy strong characters, the tang of the ocean and a vivid sense of place.