Photos: Author Louise Milligan, the cover of Shellybanks, Louise and Irma Gold in conversation on the stage of the Riverina Playhouse (photo by Jack of Hearts), Louise and Irma as seen from the Playhouse audience (photo by Jack of Hearts).
The chosen novel for One Book One Wagga 2026 was Shellybanks by Louise Milligan.
On the sands of Shellybanks, where tides can quickly turn treacherous, journalist Kate Delaney once nearly drowned. Years later, reeling from a violent crime that has upended her life in Melbourne, she returns to Dublin to comfort her beloved aunt Dolores—only to discover Dolores has her own buried trauma.
As a teenager, Dolores was drawn into a disturbing religious movement that stole her youth, her freedom, and so much more. With Kate's help, she is determined to confront the powerful network that made her suffer years of silence and shame.
Shellybanks is a haunting tale of secrecy and survival, charting how two women find strength in each other as they reckon with Ireland's hidden histories and the scars that endure across generations.
Louise, already well-known for her journalism and non-fiction, published her first novel, Pheasants Nest, in 2024. She won the Walkley Book Award in 2017 for Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award in 2021 for Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice.
More than three hundred library members borrowed Shellybanks, and more than two hundred of them attended Louise's in-conversation evening on Friday July 10th at the Riverina Playhouse.
Louise's interviewer was fellow author (as well as editor and podcaster) Irma Gold, and the enthusiastic audience were delighted with stories of the true-life Irish characters who influenced Shellybanks.
The Playhouse foyer was packed afterwards with attendees, several of them fellow authors soon to appear at the third Riverina Readers Festival. Everyone enjoyed drinks and canapes, and many had their copies of Louise's novel signed by the author.
The library has copies of Shellybanks available for you to borrow or reserve now.
