{"title":"Murray Middleton","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMurray Middleton\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts compelling narratives that explore the complexities of human relationships and the shadows lurking beneath everyday life. His novels, such as \u003cem\u003eNo Church in the Wild\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eU Want It Darker\u003c\/em\u003e, invite readers into worlds where tension and atmosphere intertwine to reveal raw, emotional truths.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a focus on general fiction, Middleton’s works blend mood and character with sharp storytelling. Expect stories that challenge perceptions and linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"no-church-in-the-wild-by-murray-middleton-9781761263170","title":"No Church in the Wild","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNo Church in the Wild\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE READINGS NEW AUSTRALIAN FICTION PRIZE 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK DESIGN AWARDS 2025 BEST DESIGNED LITERARY FICTION\/POETRY COVER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFive years after violence erupted between young migrants and local police in Melbourne's inner west, a police-led trip to hike the Kokoda Trail seeks to rebuild trust. But fresh allegations of racial profiling have the community on a knife edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor wannabe rapper Ali, pride is hard to come by in the commission towers, where friends fill the gaps left by a family secret.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eClassmate Tyler's anger—at his broken home, and a world that denies his dreams—is close to ignition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith her life in disarray, young and idealistic teacher Anna defies a school system that's failing her students.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd Paul, a cop new to the beat, quickly realises it'll take more than community policing to fix relations with local youth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the vial-studded stairs of the inner-city high-rises to the mud-sucking jungle of Kokoda, \u003cem\u003eNo Church in the Wild\u003c\/em\u003e is a fierce interrogation of contemporary Australian society and the prejudices that still underpin it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eNo Church in the Wild\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Murray Middleton deftly avoids the landmines in his propulsive new novel. He takes on a story whose hoary origins hark back to \u003cem\u003eBlackboard Jungle\u003c\/em\u003e, and which has for too long been mired in journalistic cliché and in hand-wringing sentimentality, and he makes it fresh, troubling and compelling. The structure is cinematic, but the real strength is in the operatic assuredness of the writing. The chorus of voices have real bite, real sting and real tenderness and truth. It sounds like real life.\" — \u003cstrong\u003eCHRISTOS TSIOLKAS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"I don't know if Murray Middleton is the bravest writer in Australia or the stupidest. What I do know is that \u003cem\u003eNo Church in the Wild\u003c\/em\u003e is amazing; a novel of wisdom and assurance and audacity. The fact that this book exists is a triumph. The fact that it works—and that it's so good— is a miracle.\" — \u003cstrong\u003eMILES ALLINSON\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"A fierce, urgent, necessary book.\" — \u003cstrong\u003eJAMES BRADLEY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48243378847980,"sku":"9781761263170","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781761263170-no-church-in-the-wild-1.jpg?v=1787984530"},{"product_id":"u-want-it-darker-by-murray-middleton-9781761263163","title":"U Want It Darker","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSHORTLISTED 2026 QUEENSLAND LITERARY AWARDS - STEELE RUDD AWARD FOR A SHORT STORY COLLECTION\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA true artist transforms suffering into beauty. But sometimes, all you've got is the suffering...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eU Want It Darker\u003c\/em\u003e is a bold and darkly humorous short story collection about artists struggling with their egos, facing their failures, and redeeming their bad behaviour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith each exhilarating tale, Murray Middleton draws us deeper into the absurdities of creative life, inhabiting dingy painters' studios, anarchic movie sets, depraved pizza restaurants, and grimy comedy clubs, as he tries not to plunge into the abyss himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDaring, original and shot through with pathos, these stories are a gulp of fresh air from a Vogel Award-winning literary talent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eU Want It Darker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Beautifully observed through an idiosyncratic and witty lens, these stories are beguilingly strange and deeply human adventures into the getting of wisdom.'\u003c\/em\u003e - JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'The odds are so stacked against any creative work that it's a wonder this book exists at all. Middleton's portraits of struggling artists are uncomfortably familiar, bitterly funny, and cut with honest truth.'\u003c\/em\u003e - JENNIFER MILLS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48244804157676,"sku":"9781761263163","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2c3a402a21c106054470b74098c2adf0.jpg?v=1788147871"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/murray-middleton.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}