I can’t remember when I’ve loved a book so much. It really touched my heart. —Amanda Keller

When Rosie Gennaro first meets Jimmy Hailler, she has walked away from life in Sydney, leaving behind the place on Dalhousie that her father, Seb, painstakingly rebuilt for his family but never saw completed. Two years later, Rosie returns to the house and living there is Martha, whom Seb Gennaro married less than a year after the death of Rosie’s mother. Martha is struggling to fulfil Seb’s dream, while Rosie is coming to terms with new responsibilities. And so begins a stand-off between two women who refuse to move out of the home they both lay claim to.

As the battle lines are drawn, Jimmy Hailler re-enters Rosie’s life. Having always watched other families from the perimeters, he’s now grappling, heartbreakingly, with forming one of his own . The Place on Dalhousie is an unforgettable story about losing love and finding love; about the interconnectedness of lives and the true nature of belonging, from one of our most acclaimed writers.

Meet Melina Marchetta in conversation with Sean Costello at Muse.

Tickets: $15 (includes a complimentary glass of house wine or juice)

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Melina Marchetta is a bestselling author in more than twenty countries and eighteen languages. She has published award-winning young adult, fantasy and crime fiction, including her acclaimed crime novel, Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil. Her much-loved Australian classic, Looking for Alibrandi, swept the pool of literary awards when it was published, and was also released as a film, adapted by Marchetta, winning an AFI Award and an Independent Film Award for best screenplay, as well as the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award. The companion novel to Marchetta’s award-winning book Saving Francesca, The Piper's Son, also received much acclaim in Australia and internationally, and in 2009 Marchetta won the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association for Jellicoe Road. 

Under the brand name Capital Yarns, Sean Costello has penned more than fifty short stories published online, in two self-published books, and via a monthly podcast. A passionate Canberran, he invites readers to nominate three items over social media to be weaved into a short piece of fiction set in Canberra. He has been awarded the ‘Canberran of the Year’ byThe Canberra Times’ 'Gang Gang' column , and his first compilation of stories was Highly Commended in the ACT Writers Centre’s Writing and Publishing Awards. His short stories have featured in prominent local events such as Capital Collab and Art Not Apart festival. The son of an Italian migrant, Looking for Alibrandi resonated for Sean. True to his Italian heritage, his mother quite likes some of his stories, but would prefer if he used less naughty words.