The Unforgiving City

Secrets and lies throw three lives into chaos in the last days of the nineteenth century.

Colonial Sydney in the final weeks of the nineteenth century: a city striving for union and nationhood but dogged by divisions so deep they threaten to derail, not just the Federation, but the colony itself. There are chasms opening too when a clandestine note reaches the wrong hands in the well-to-do household of aspiring politician Alasdair Dunlevy and his wife Eleanor. Below stairs, their maid Alice faces a desperate situation with her wayward sister.

Despite sharing a house, Eleanor, Alice and Alasdair are each alone in their torment and must each find some solution, but at what cost to themselves and those they love? Evocative, immediate and involving, this is the sweeping story of three people, their passions and ambitions, and the far-flung ripples their choices will cause.

About the Author

Maggie Joel has had four novels published. The first, The Past and Other Lies, was published to critical acclaim in Australia in 2009 and in the United States in 2013. Her second novel, The Second-Last Woman in England, was published in Australia in 2010, in the United States in 2011 and in the United Kingdom in 2013. This book was awarded the 2011 Fellowship of Australian Writers' Christina Stead Award for Fiction. Maggie's third novel, Half the World in Winter, was published in 2014 and in the United Kingdom in 2015. Her fourth novel, The Safest Place in London, was published in 2016.

Maggie lives in Sydney and works as the operations manager at a federal government agency.