Books
The Broken Wave
‘We never talked about what happened in 1992. Did it quietly haunt him the way it did me?’
In the small seaside town of Queenscliff, two boys from opposite sides of the world forge a friendship over a summer of sun, adventure and brotherhood. Until a catastrophic event shatters their idyllic childhoods.
Two lives are lost. A lie is told.
Years later, when Tom dies in suspicious circumstances, Drew flies from the US back to Australia for his friend’s funeral. Still haunted by that night in 1992, he’s about to find out if Tom ever told anyone the truth, if the two events are connected, and if their friendship was worth the price they paid.
Praise for The Broken Wave:
KYLIE LADD:
‘Superbly characterised and almost unbearably tense, The Broken Wave had me both holding my breath and turning the pages. Davies writes with assurance and empathy, transporting the reader through one golden childhood summer to a shocking tragedy that will ricochet down the years. Haunting and heartfelt, I am still thinking about The Broken Wave weeks after finishing it.’
HAYLEY SCRIVENOR:
‘In The Broken Wave, an American writer struggles with his difficult second novel. Matthew Ryan Davies would seem to have no such problem: this second novel is a taut and compassionate examination of the way the people we know as children mark us forever. As it builds to its devastating conclusion, The Broken Wave will leave you breathless.’
PETER PAPATHANASIOU:
‘Unlike anything else you’ll read this year. A gripping page-turner that had my heart racing as the story unfolded. The shocking revelation will stay with you a long time.’
GABRIEL BERGMOSER:
‘The Broken Wave drags you in from its first pages and refuses to let go. Flowing with ease between idyllic past and haunted present, it builds an irresistible mystery suffused with all-too-real pain and melancholy. Don't miss it.’
Things We Bury
Siblings, secrets, love and lies
Three siblings, reunited in their home town, are struggling to deal with the fallout of a car crash that almost killed their father. This, on top of everything else life is throwing at them.
Josh is trying to save his marriage and hard-won TV career in the wake of a painfully public sexual harassment scandal. But is he really as innocent as he says?
Jac, perennially single, is getting married – unbeknownst to her family. But will the private war she’s been waging since leaving the town sabotage this relationship, too?
Dane, ever honest and dependable, is running the family business while their father is in hospital. But not everything is aboveboard. Can he look the other way for his dad’s sake?
A mysterious list of names. Long-hidden family secrets. Old, festering wounds.
Praise for Things We Bury:
MARK BRANDI:
‘Davies writes with rare clarity and empathy, giving a razor-sharp insight into the complexities of modern life. An acutely observed, utterly compelling family drama.’
MALCOLM KNOX:
‘From the opening page of Things We Bury, I was so immersed in the Harding family I felt like I was one of them. Weighty emotional themes are carried along in a fluent and easy style, and when all seems to be spinning apart, the ties of love are stress-tested. Only a truly gifted novelist could pull this off, and Matthew Ryan Davies has written a beautiful, moving family drama.’
SALLY HEPWORTH:
‘Things We Bury had me in the first chapter! So compelling, so well written, so damn clever. It is that book that will have you saying “just one more chapter” until it’s finished. I am already desperate for his next book.’
JOHN BIRMINGHAM:
‘Jeez, this family. Their stories. It's like an addiction. It gets into your veins and it is very hard to quit them.’
This Thing of Darkness
How do you forgive the unforgivable?
Riley’s sister is dead and she feels responsible. Nothing numbs the pain. Nobody gets her. Until she meets Dean. He’s new to the school, mysterious, and Riley is immediately drawn to him. But when Dean’s dark past surfaces, their two tortured worlds collide. This Thing of Darkness explores the power of understanding and forgiveness – even when the pain is unbearable and the crime unspeakable.
Read more about This Thing of Darkness at www.mattdavies.com.au.
