The World Beneath - Softcover

Back in the eighties, Rich and Sandy were environmental campaigners: idealistic, passionate about their cause, and desperately in love. Now, twenty-five years later, and long since separated, they have both settled into the uncomfortable compromises of middle-age; about the only thing they share in common is their teenage daughter, Sophie. When Rich decides to take Sophie on a six-day hike into the Tasmanian outback, he hopes the journey will bring them closer together. But in the epic wilderness he once felt so passionate about, he now finds nothing but disorientation and fear - his daughter seems harder to reach then ever, and events soon begin to spiral dangerously out of control. In order to survive, father and daughter must first traverse an emotional gulf to learn how to trust each other and believe in themselves... Intense and beautifully told, gripping to the very last page, The World Beneath is a remarkable book about the mysterious and changing landscapes of family life: a novel to lose yourself in.

Cate Kennedy's first book, the acclaimed short story collection Dark Roots, was shortlisted for the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal. She is also the author of the travel memoir Sing and Don't Cry: A Mexican Journal and the poetry collections Joyflight and Signs of Other Fires. The World Beneath is her first novel.