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My Father is a Curlew, a young adult novel by Australian author Samantha Trayhurn. It features Wallace, a young woman who is grappling with conflicting emotions over her father's sudden death. On Russell Island, Queensland, where she has gone to settle her father's affairs, Wallace reflects on his life as a scientist studying migratory birds, particularly curlews. She experiences moments of deep connection and loss, expressed in lyrical language. She finally comes to visualise her father as an elusive curlew, symbolising his transit from death into memory. While on the island, Wallace bonds with Oji, her father's former partner, who helps her navigate her grief. As they renovate the house left to her, Wallace learns more about her father's struggles and his choice to end his life. The story interweaves themes of identity, family, loss, and the search for belonging as Wallace confronts her past and attempts to reimagine her future. As Christmas approaches, tensions arise between Wallace and her mother, Jill, who pressures her to return home to Sydney Their strained relationship highlights the family's unresolved issues from the past. Ultimately, Wallace finds solace in the reassuring presence of her father-curlew and comes to understand and accept his absence.
Samantha Trayhurn lives and writes on Biripi Country, on the mid-north coast of NSW. When she isn't writing, you'll find her surfing or roller skating. She holds a Doctorate in Creative Writing from Western Sydney University, where she was supervised by Gail Jones, Anthony Uhlmann, and Ben Etherington. This novel forms the creative component of her thesis, and her work explores the liminal spaces where nature, bodies, and ideas intersect. Her writing has appeared in Overland, Westerly, eTropic, Hecate, Scum Mag, and elsewhere. She also contributed a chapter to Gerald Murnane: Another World in This One (Sydney University Press, 2020). The manuscript of this novel placed third in the 2023 Hawkeye Publishing Unpublished Manuscript Prize. She is currently at work on her second novel.
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