PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Australia, 1979
It’s the height of summer and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white chequered tiles of her bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, it’s 3 a.m. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering their neighbour has just been murdered.
As the sun rises on Warrah Place, news of Antonio Marietti’s death spreads like wildfire, gossip is exchanged in whispers and suspicion mounts. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, determined to find out what happened, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve. There are secrets behind every closed door in the neighbourhood – and the identity of the murderer is only one of them . . .
Richly atmospheric and simmering with tension, The Grapevine is an acutely observed debut novel about prejudice and suspicion, the hidden lives of women, and how the ties that bind a community can also threaten to break it.
MY THOUGHTS
My thanks to Tracy of Compulsive Readers for the tour invitation and to the publisher for the lovely hardback copy to review. This had been on my wishlist for a while and I jumped at the chance to review for the tour. The Grapevine is published by Phoenix, (an imprint of Orion Books) in ebook, audiobook and hardback (13 March 2025) with the paperback to follow in March 2026.
Set in a Canberra suburb in the late 70s, The Grapevine has a wonderful sense of time and place, being an engrossing and intriguing story taking place during one hot summer which focuses on the residents of Wallah Place. The residents of this community are a diverse bunch and quite frankly there are those that are so awful with their misogynistic, racist and homophobic views that you really wouldn’t want them as your neighbours.
It was the prologue that hooked me straight away with the cleaning away of the blood. We soon discover the ‘who’ however the ‘why’ takes longer to unfold. Whilst it seems clear who is responsible this story is about more than murder. Speculation and suspicion is rife and with the rumour mill working overtime, some people are struggling with their own secrets and vulnerabilities.
The story moves back and forth in time, before and after the murder. One of the narrators is 12 year old Tammy. Lonely and bullied at school, she has an inquisitive nature and wants to solve the murder to impress her peers however her own investigations often take her in the wrong direction, given that she doesn’t always understand the importance of what she is seeing. Her growing friendship with 8 year old neighbour Colin, is a particularly touching one and from initially seeing him as a nuisance when tasked with looking after him during the holidays, Tammy comes to view him as a friend and feels protective of him. Tammy is also a magpie, stealing often inconsequential items from people for no reason other than she covets them or that the opportunity has arisen.
This is an excellent debut with vividly described settings and characters, many of whom had their own backstory which I enjoyed seeing unfold. Mainly character driven, it maintains a steady sedate pace, although this does pick up nearer the end but the payoff is an atmospheric read that teases out tensions bubbling under the surface. The female characters were a highlight for me, the focus being on their sense of identity and lack of control of their lives whether it be be by nurture, religion or tradition. A thoroughly enjoyable read and I would love to read more by Kate Kemp.
Kate Kemp is an Australian writer living in the UK. She trained as an occupational therapist and then as a systemic psychotherapist, and has worked with families and individuals in mental health services in both Australia and the UK. In 2021, she won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and the Yeovil Literary Prize. The Grapevine is her first novel.
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