What I Would Do to You

A compulsively readable debut novel for those who could not put down Dirt Town or Before You Knew My Name.

In a near-future Australia, the death penalty is back. But if the victim’s family wants the perpetrator to die, they have to do it themselves. Twenty-four hours alone in a room with the condemned. No cameras. No microphones. Just whatever punishment they decide befits the crime.

Ten-year-old Lucy was murdered in bushland adjoining her family farm. Through counselling sessions with their court-appointed psychologist we learn the stories of her family members: Lucy’s two mothers – Stella and Matisse, her much older brother and her bookish teenage sister, who is too young to participate in the execution, but who has plans of her own . . .

Tensions build as the family discover secrets about each other that threaten to drive them further apart than grief already has. As the execution date nears, already-struggling Stella remains adamant that she must carry out the punishment. But it becomes clear that if she steps into that room, the family may lose her too.

What would you do?

About the Author

Georgia Harper is a psychologist who has worked both with serious violent offenders and with trauma victim-survivors. Her career spans correctional and forensic mental health, rural mental health and private practice roles. She was Statewide Coordinator of the Queensland Prison Mental Health Service and, in keeping with her passion for animal welfare, the Senior Inspector Prosecutions for RSPCA Queensland.

Georgia studied journalism before deciding she didn’t have the nous to pursue people’s most difficult stories. Now, being trusted with them is the substance and privilege of her psychology work. She started writing her first novel, What I Would Do to You, as a creative outlet during the pandemic. Georgia currently works in health psychology, and also advises on LGBTIQ+ workforce inclusivity strategies. Born in Brisbane, she lives on the beautiful Darling Downs and writes in her paddock, under supervision of her shire horse.