Kyra Geddes: The Story Thief

Her family’s story made Henry Lawson famous. But was it his to tell? Fact, fiction, truth and imagination meld into one in this moving family saga set against shifting landscapes and pivotal moments in Australian history.

Lillian was born in 1892, the same year in which Henry Lawson wrote The Drover’s Wife and claimed a permanent place for himself in the Australian literary canon. After a series of tragic losses, Lillian becomes convinced that Lawson’s story is based upon her own family, a belief that forever alters the course of her life.

Inspired by The Drover’s Wife, The Story Thief is about mothers and daughters, love, loss and the power of words. Ultimately it is about how each of us must find our own way to live.

Kyra Geddes explores her stunning debut The Story Thief, a moving family saga inspired by one of Australia’s most infamous novels, in conversation with David Hunt.

As the child of German immigrants, Kyra Geddes spent her infancy in the opal fields of South Australia. She now lives in Sydney with her husband and two children. Following a successful career in marketing, Kyra returned to university to study English and pursue her life-long dream of writing, publishing two short stories and earning the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence. The Story Thief is her debut novel, and the culmination of almost a decade of research and writing. Aside from reading, Kyra's passions include art, photography, foreign languages and travel.

David Hunt is the author of the bestselling and award-winning Australian history Girt series and a television presenter, podcaster and writer of children's books. He has a birthmark that looks like Tasmania, only smaller and not as far south.

Host or Publisher State Library of New South Wales