Agapanthus Tango

Description

Twelve-year-old Day rides out of the remote family farm where he grew up, grieving the curious death of his mother and escaping his frightening father, sure of only one thing - that he will never return. Working as a stable-boy, he creates a new life as an expert groom and travels to America with a racehorse called Unusual. In the an alien landscape of Maryland, he meets Callie, a gifted young horsewoman determined to become the world's first female jockey. As his passion for Callie takes hold, Day must confront his past and accept that the only way forward is to go back. David Francis's debut novel, told with spare and haunting prose, is an unforgettable evocation of grief, reinvention and making one's way in the world, with all the hallmarks of his celebrated later works of fiction.

David Francis, based in Los Angeles where he works for the Norton Rose Fulbright law firm, spends part of each year back on his family's farm in Victoria. He is the author of Stray Dog Winter, Book of the Year in The Advocate. His short fiction and articles have appeared in Harvard Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Meanjin, Griffith Review, Best Australian Stories 2012 and 2014, Australian Love Stories and The Rattling Wall. He is Vice President of PEN Center USA. His most recent novel, Wedding Bush Road was published by Brio in 2016 to critical acclaim.