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The Mother of All Calamities
Brief Description
In Greengully, the perfect suburb with perfect parents, nothing is quite as it seems. Chrissy, the teacher who always has the answers, can't understand why her clueless male colleague just scored the job she deserved. Jenny, the perennial class mum, is desperate to hide her son's...
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The Mother of All Calamities
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Description
In Greengully, the perfect suburb with perfect parents, nothing is quite as it seems. Chrissy, the teacher who always has the answers, can't understand why her clueless male colleague just scored the job she deserved. Jenny, the perennial class mum, is desperate to hide her son's escalating behaviour from the other parents. Estelle insists her daughter Harmony is a delight-despite mounting evidence to the contrary. And Viv, the quiet one, carries a secret so dark it could destroy everything she loves.
As friendships strain and facades crack, The Mother of All Calamities exposes the lies we tell ourselves and the masks we wear for others. Sharp-eyed and utterly relatable, it asks: What would happen if we all stopped pretending everything was fine?
'A wonderful debut, a tonic for the times.' Sofie Laguna, author of The Choke and The Underworld
'Lisa is a deft and effortless storyteller who casts an unflinching and wonderfully sharp gaze over her characters and their world. A writer to watch.' Lucy Treloar, author of Wolfe Island and Days of Innocence and Wonder
'With warmth and sly humour, The Mother of All Calamities peels back the polished veneer of contemporary parenthood to reveal the chaos underneath. Moule's intertwined characters feel instantly recognisable, their struggles both heartfelt and darkly funny. A lively and perceptive novel that reminds us how much easier everything becomes when we stop pretending.' Megan Rogers, author of The Heart is a Star
'If you don't see yourself in this book, you'll see someone you know and you'll laugh, wince, and nod all the way through. Profoundly relatable, packed with razor-sharp wit, and full of heart, this is a must-read for every parent.' Kylie Orr, author of Someone Else's Child
'Clever and poignant, The Mother of All Calamities chisels away the pearly veneers of Australian suburbia. Both a contemporary satire and a study of our nature, Moule exposes the hypocrisies of parenting, motherhood, trauma and memory. And yet it veers away from cynicism, for it is a novel that offers hope and promise in the finding of empathy and respect. Do not miss out on the conversation, for The Mother of All Calamities will be the book discussed at school drop-offs and pick-ups.' Madeleine Cleary, author of The Butterfly Women
'Moule conjures the atmosphere of the contemporary Australian school environment as a pitch-perfect social microcosm.' Cate Kennedy, author of Like a House on Fire
'Moule deftly weaves the intertwined stories of four women to reveal just how perniciously secrets can erode trust. She also shows how, conversely, empathy and authenticity beget true intimacy. The Mother of All Calamities is equal parts thrilling, poignant, and wryly funny. In the vein of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth, Moule's narrative is as ambitious as the story is relatable.' Katharine Pollock, author of Starry Eyed and Her Fidelity.
As friendships strain and facades crack, The Mother of All Calamities exposes the lies we tell ourselves and the masks we wear for others. Sharp-eyed and utterly relatable, it asks: What would happen if we all stopped pretending everything was fine?
'A wonderful debut, a tonic for the times.' Sofie Laguna, author of The Choke and The Underworld
'Lisa is a deft and effortless storyteller who casts an unflinching and wonderfully sharp gaze over her characters and their world. A writer to watch.' Lucy Treloar, author of Wolfe Island and Days of Innocence and Wonder
'With warmth and sly humour, The Mother of All Calamities peels back the polished veneer of contemporary parenthood to reveal the chaos underneath. Moule's intertwined characters feel instantly recognisable, their struggles both heartfelt and darkly funny. A lively and perceptive novel that reminds us how much easier everything becomes when we stop pretending.' Megan Rogers, author of The Heart is a Star
'If you don't see yourself in this book, you'll see someone you know and you'll laugh, wince, and nod all the way through. Profoundly relatable, packed with razor-sharp wit, and full of heart, this is a must-read for every parent.' Kylie Orr, author of Someone Else's Child
'Clever and poignant, The Mother of All Calamities chisels away the pearly veneers of Australian suburbia. Both a contemporary satire and a study of our nature, Moule exposes the hypocrisies of parenting, motherhood, trauma and memory. And yet it veers away from cynicism, for it is a novel that offers hope and promise in the finding of empathy and respect. Do not miss out on the conversation, for The Mother of All Calamities will be the book discussed at school drop-offs and pick-ups.' Madeleine Cleary, author of The Butterfly Women
'Moule conjures the atmosphere of the contemporary Australian school environment as a pitch-perfect social microcosm.' Cate Kennedy, author of Like a House on Fire
'Moule deftly weaves the intertwined stories of four women to reveal just how perniciously secrets can erode trust. She also shows how, conversely, empathy and authenticity beget true intimacy. The Mother of All Calamities is equal parts thrilling, poignant, and wryly funny. In the vein of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth, Moule's narrative is as ambitious as the story is relatable.' Katharine Pollock, author of Starry Eyed and Her Fidelity.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781761472343
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 03 March 2026
Country: Australia
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 440g
Pages: 384
About the Author
Lisa grew up in Melbourne and studied at Melbourne University before moving to Paris to train in theatre at École Jacques Lecoq. She later moved to London, where she built a career as an actor and voice artist, performing at venues such as The London Playhouse and Soho Theatre, and voicing work including The Thunderbirds and The Skinner Boys. Lisa completed Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT in 2022. She won second prize in the 2022 Furphy Literary Award and the 2023 Australian Short Story Festival's Emerging Writers' Prize. She's also been shortlisted for the Peter Carey and Stringybark Awards. Her debut short story, Estelle, was published in Ordinary People (2020). Lisa is a co-hosts on 3CR's Published... or Not and lives in Naarm/Melbourne with her husband and two children.
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