Extinctions

'In Extinctions, a compassionate and unapologetically intelligent novel, Josephine Wilson explores ageing, adoption, grief and remorse, empathy and self-centredness...The novel is also a meditation on survival: on what people carry, on how they cope, and on why they might, after so much putting their head in the sand, come to the decision to engage, and even change. '
- The 2017 Miles Franklin Literary Award Judges Comments

'Whip smart, full of unexpected moves and a wonderful cast of characters...a powerful and memorable read.'
- Karen Joy Fowler

'Wilson is never at a loss for words. She wields the English language sometimes like a surgical instrument, sometimes like a weapon, but always with complete mastery of allusion and resonance.'
- Gillian Dooley, Australian Book Review

'Josephine Wilson's paragraphs and sentences have a rounded shape, in contrast to the currently fashionable way of writing, which tends to jagged, broken sentences. Her style encourages readers to savour each image and insight as it is revealed, without feeling that the narrative is constantly rushing forward to the next piece of "action". Some would call this style old-fashioned; in my view it has a lot going for it.'
- Dorothy Johnston, Sydney Morning Herald