{"product_id":"9781761154768","title":"Mantle","description":"Author: Romy Ash\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781761154768\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Ultimo Press\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 28 Apr 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 320\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A generous work, by a glorious young writer.’\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Australian, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘the big books of 2026’\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNature has another evolution in store for us\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI think about how the earth likes to cough things up. Bones, fossils, slivers of rock, like an interior self. How it likes to spew gas, lava, smoke. How the earth under our feet is anything but solid. How in fact, the surface itself is constantly in movement, teeming. And inside, inside, in the mantle, we can only guess.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUrsula is a self-possessed geologist.\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eIn her life on the mainland, she’s a guardian of the timescale, dividing history into segments and reading the Earth’s depths. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s simply science.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen her ailing mother is struck with a mystery illness she is called to the coastline of lutruwita\/Tasmania. What begins as an incurable rash evolves into something more dangerous.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the sickness spreading across the island, and beyond, Ursula finds herself stranded, stuck in her mother’s house and increasingly entangled with a younger man who she met at the pub. She is grieving, beginning to unhinge – and now she too has the rash.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wild places of the island are solace, even as the world around her begins to shift. As she faces this eruption of new life, and grapples with death and decay, Ursula realises that this change may not signal an end, but a beginning. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeeply moving and utterly original, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMantle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e is a powerful novel that shows us our fate is intertwined with the people around us, and the fate of our world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMANTLE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Romy Ash’s \u003ci\u003eMantle\u003c\/i\u003e is an exquisite novel. She gives voice to a remarkable and authentic cast of characters, writing with originality and dare. A wonderful book.’ – Tony Birch, author of \u003ci\u003eWomen and Children\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e‘Mantle \u003c\/i\u003eis one of the best novels I’ve ever read, and Ash is one of the country’s finest writers. The novel just grows around you and won’t let go … This is a book of heart, of grief and of facing end times head on. Only Romy Ash has the sheer talent to tell such a tale.’ – Laura Jean McKay, author of\u003ci\u003e The Animals in That Country \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eMantle\u003c\/i\u003e is evocative, funny, weird and gorgeous. This story will stay with you, linger on the skin and in the heart. A long-awaited class act from Ash.’ – Anna Krien, author of \u003ci\u003eAct of Grace\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003ci\u003eMantle\u003c\/i\u003e is a ferocious hymn of love and grief and desire – one that howls for the planet. This novel will thread its way under your skin and wrap its tendrils around your heart. Dazzling.’ – Kate Mildenhall, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Hiding Place\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46798790197406,"sku":"TLD-9781761154768","price":34.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781761154768.jpg?v=1778119074","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781761154768","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}