Amy Brown

Background

About Amy Brown

I am a writer (represented by Alex Christie at Curtis Brown) and secondary teacher. My debut novel, My Brilliant Sister, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2023. It was published by Simon & Schuster in February 2024. This is what it’s about: While Stella Miles Franklin took on the world, her beloved sister Linda led a short, domestic life as a wife, mother and sister. In a remarkable, genre-bending debut novel Amy Brown thrillingly reimagines those two lives – and her own – to explore and explode the contradictions embedded in brilliant careers and a woman’s place in the world. Sliding Doors meets Wifedom.'Gorgeously alive to both the smallest and biggest elements that make up a life, and a nuanced, moving and compelling exploration of the necessary compromises that accompany any woman's attempt to find meaning in work, whether domestic or creative, or – sometimes, somehow, magically – both.' – Ceridwen Dovey, author of Mothertongues ‘My Brilliant Sister is truly that – brilliant. Amy Brown's writing is superb, and the story is wonderfully told. This novel speaks to both our literary past and our sense of who we are now. While some “careers” remain quiet, they are of vital importance to us.’ – Tony Birch, author of Shadowboxing and The White Girl 'My Brilliant Sister is a work of such beauty and truthfulness. It’s also a sustained poetic and political enquiry, which moves effortlessly from the smallest to the largest, and poses irresolvable questions of being and language, with a melancholic lightness of touch.' – Miles Allinson, author of In Moonland ‘A rich, playful meditation on art, domesticity, wildness and the struggle to be understood – I loved it.’ - Emily Perkins, author of Lioness ‘If, like me, you love nothing more than diving into the hearts and minds of the characters in a novel, then My Brilliant Sister is the book for you. This exquisite novel asks big questions – about sisterhood, creativity, who should be considered extraordinary, and what makes a good life – while staying firmly grounded in the compelling voices of three strong women. I was spellbound by each of these subtly interlinked narratives. Amy Brown is a shining star!’ – Emily Bitto, Stella Prize winning author of The Strays and Wild Abandon