Women & Children is set in a working class suburb of Melbourne in 1965. Our protagonist Joe Cluny is eleven years old and lives with his mother Marion and older sister Ruby. He has a very close relationship with his grandfather, a newly retired street sweeper whom he calls Char. His aunt Oona also plays a significant role in the story. Joe is an utter delight - slightly naive (something which will be challenged by the events in this story), sweet, thoughtful and intelligent - but at different times each member of the family along with Char’s friend Ranji claimed a piece of my heart, albeit for different reasons. The characterisation was wonderful and I loved the family dynamics, the way they loved each other and had each other’s backs - even if they frustrated or irritated by each other. The friendship between Char and Ranji was another high point; not only was it between older males but they were of different faiths, yet clearly respected each other and found many commonalities. This book highlighted some important issues including the physical and emotional abuse meted out in the Catholic school system, and the terrible toll of domestic abuse, especially when police were corrupt and neither they nor society at large treated the issues seriously. The ending was fast paced and full of hand to mouth, perched on the edge of your seat with muscles clenched tension. Yet it wasn’t artificial; rather it felt fitting for the story with all the different threads coming together in a very satisfying way.