The Truth & Addy Loest

Summary

Told with Kim Kelly’s incomparable warmth and wit, The Truth & Addy Loest is a magical trip through shabby-chic inner-city Sydney, a tale of literature, love and of discovering the only story that really matters is the one you write for yourself.

The truth is not a destination – it's a magical ride.

Addy Loest is harbouring a secret – several, in fact. Dedicated overthinker, frockaholic and hard-partier, she’s been doing all she can to avoid the truth for quite some time.

A working-class girl raised between the Port Kembla Steelworks and the surf of the Illawarra coast, Addy is a fish out of water at the prestigious University of Sydney. She’s also the child of German immigrants, and her broken-hearted widower dad won’t tell her anything about her family’s tragic past.

But it’s 1985, a time of all kinds of excess, from big hair to big misogyny, and distractions are easy. Distractions, indeed, are Addy’s best skill – until one hangover too many leads her to meet a particular frock and a particular man, each of whom will bring all her truths hurtling home.

'Colourful, evocative and energetic.’ Kerryn Goldsworthy, Sydney Morning Herald

‘Why can’t more people write like this?’ Frank O’Shea, The Age

'Deeply moving ... alive, full-hearted and shimmering with hope.' Belinda Castles

‘Kelly is a masterful creator of character and voice.’ Julian Leatherdale