The Fine Colour of Rust - Hardcover

‘Delightful, laugh-out-loud funny and unforgettable. I love this book’ Toni Jordan, author of Addition

‘O’Reilly is funny and touching by turns and her style has a spare intelligence that reminded me of another of my favourite authors, the great Laurie Graham’ DAILY MAIL

‘A delight ... The author has a wryly-humorous touch and, once I started reading, I found it hard to put down. It’s peopled with characters who are quirky but credible, and universally recognizable’ NEW BOOKS MAG

‘Can anyone write the story of a whirligig single mother gamely and hilariously fighting development of her small town better than Paddy O'Reilly? No, and nor should they try’ WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

‘O’Reilly displays a deft poetic touch that elevates the prose from functional to transcendent...This is a story about love: where we look for it, what we do with it and how it shows up in the most unexpected packages. It is warm, moving and funny’ BIG ISSUE, AUSTRALIA

If you loved A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, you’ll love The Fine Colour of Rust.

Single mother Loretta Boskovic may have fantasies about dumping her two kids in the orphanage and riding off on a Harley with her dream lover, but her reality is life in a dusty country town called Gunapan.

A self-dubbed ‘old scrag’, Loretta’s got a big heart and a strong sense of injustice. So, when Gunapan’s primary school is threatened with closure, and there’s a whiff of corruption wafting through the corridors of the local council, she stirs into action. She's short of money, influence and a fully functioning car, but she does have loyal friends who’ll do whatever it takes to hold on to the scrap of world that is home.

The Fine Colour of Rust is a wryly funny, beautifully observed, life-affirming novel about friendship, love and fighting for things that matter. In Loretta Boskovic, Paddy O’Reilly (writing as P A O'Reilly) has created a truly endearing heroine who gives us all permission to dream.