PRAISE

‘My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a devastatingly emotional but ultimately hopeful exploration of love, family and place. The natural world takes centre stage, with Jimenbuen, the location of the farm, playing a role almost akin to that of a character. Patrick is transformed by his experiences at Jimenbuen with Lewis, but the land itself – its isolation and wilderness – also provides a place of safety and freedom from the guilt and frustration Patrick experiences stemming from his difficult relationship with his mother. Every location is rendered in precise, attentive detail: the barn in Jimenbuen, the streets of Sydney, and the sleepy country town where Patrick lives. Featherstone interrogates the power of love and the natural world in Patrick’s life, crafting a compelling and moving read.’ ArtsHub

‘I loved this delightful novel and the journey it took me on. Patrick’s character is finely observed, and his growth, sexual liberation and preparedness to come out as he hits 50 are beautifully scrutinised. A remarkable look at Australian masculinity and its meaning.’ Newtown Review of Books

‘Epic in its intimacy... It’s a triumph of a book about the timeless theme of how romance can be obstructed by a suffocating mother.’ Peter Polites, author of The Pillars and Down the Hume

‘Rhythmic prose and an unflinching ability to paint the human experience with effortless lyrical ease.’ Hercanberra.com

‘A poignant and ultimately hopeful novel about how it’s never too late to find courage or connect with joy. I was captivated by the elegance of Featherstone’s prose and the quiet power of his voice.’ Delia Falconer, author of Signs and Wonders and The Service of Clouds

‘You can’t help but be changed by reading this beautiful, exquisitely well-wrought and richly poignant novel which dwells in the quiet, pause-filled places of life while fomenting a revolution that sees one wounded, stoically lost man find a new purpose and home, far from the ordinariness of life and off where it is still possible, because My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is always gently adamant that it IS possible to find our true self, realise your hopes and dreams and go to wild and unpredictable where the sun has not yet set on possibility.’ Sparkly Pretty Briiiight

‘Entrancing, multifaceted, melancholic and yet full of joy, what ultimately makes this book sing is the sheer weight of human experience underpinning every one of its moving parts.’ Sam Coley, author of State Highway One

‘A contemplative portrait of a man bound by a strong sense of duty to his family as he learns to overcome a lifetime of trying not to rock the boat to allow himself to find pleasure… This is a novel whose charm rests in part in the accumulation of quiet detail and perceptive observation: the fleeting appearances of an elusive tiger quoll; Patrick’s comment that “in the end all buried things have a way of coming to the surface”. Its depictions of landscape are evocative; its sex scenes tender and frank. At one point, Patrick recollects the scent of sunscreen and salt water associated with beach visits, describing it as being “about freedom, and the extraordinary ordinariness of human life”. The same is true of Featherstone’s yearning, intimate novel.’ West Australian

‘A bloody great book: a love-letter to land and memory, and to being one’s true self.’ Mandy Beaumont, author of The Furies

‘A life unfurls. A beautifully told story.’ Tasmanian Bibliophile at Large

‘A balm for your heart and mind. A meditation on love and sex, mother-son relationships, what you owe yourself versus your family, the wild beauty of the Monaro, memory, ageing and so much more. Tender and beautiful, dotted with shards of pain. I loved it.’ Dinuka McKenzie, author of The Torrent

‘Featherstone depicts life in all its complexity and contradiction, capturing the comparative freedom of childhood but also the long shadow it casts when it has taught you to repress your true self. My Heart is a Little Wild Thing shows that ephemeral connections can be just as meaningful as the grand, enduring relationships our society venerates.’ Canberra Times

‘Oh, my heart, this beautiful book.’ Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain and The Burnished Sun

‘My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a coming-out novel, albeit one with a significant difference. Most coming-out narratives focus on youthful protagonists, whereas Patrick is in his early fifties. His queerness is not so much a sudden revelation as a force that has bubbled silently in the background, occasionally acknowledged but seldom acted on. Patrick’s voyage of sexual discovery is paralleled with his quest to learn more about his increasingly frail mother. Neither mission is straightforward; Featherstone avoids easy answers and simplistic psychologising. A welcome contribution to the field of Australian queer fiction.’ Australian Book Review

‘Beautifully told, magically-realised.’ Canberra Critics Circle

‘Nigel Featherstone weaves a remarkable story of the possibilities of love, the cruelty of duty and the magic of place. Bringing the Monaro to life in prose that quietly sparkles, My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a story of self-discovery that sits separate from anything I’ve ever read. Featherstone’s novels are unforgettable gifts.’ Booktopia

‘Beautiful and disarmingly honest, this is a searing meditation of an urgent quest for self-meaning and deep love – and about what being a ‘good child’ and a complete adult means.’ Paul Daley, author and journalist

‘A poignant coming of age – and in this era of extended life cycles, it’s possible the coming of middle age is as significant as adolescence, if not more so. Featherstone’s writing is spare and understated; its frank realism exposes Patrick’s wild heart with a relatable vulnerability.’ Mindful Puzzles

‘The voice of My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is laconic, grim, masculine, withheld, but through the darkness it also holds a sweetly earnest, genuine hope – Patrick’s desires shine through.’ The Saturday Paper

‘My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a brilliant and deeply evocative novel that breaks your heart and hints that, if you trust it enough, it will lovingly piece it back together. Powerful, tender, visceral and sublime – a must-read piece of Australian literature.’ Holden Sheppard, author of Invisible Boys and The Brink

‘A novel about what it means to yearn. It is a portrait, surely, of many of us – those wondering if this is our place, our lot, our future. We learnt in Featherstone’s first novel, Bodies of Men, that he is a writer who understands human fragility. With My Heart is a Little Wild Thing, he has cemented his talent and allowed us an intimate view into another person’s heart. It is a gift.’ Readings

‘The heart might be a little wild thing, but this novel is a little beautiful thing – and not so little at that.’ Whispering Gums

‘Despite a thrilling, dramatic first sentence, Patrick’s story is far gentler and more indelible than we first think – full of childhood memories and stunning scenes of the Monaro. My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a story about the small acts of bravery and love we incorporate into our everyday lives. A gorgeous, tender morsel of a story.’ Roaring Stories

‘Nigel Featherstone’s latest novel is an intense emotional journey, across longing, loss, letting go and embracing the unknown. A reading experience to savour and revisit again and again.’ Melinda Smith, author of Drag Down to Unlock or Place an Emergency Call

‘My Heart is a Little Wild Thing is a beautifully constructed and written book; it cleverly tangles the reader in every aspect of its telling. It moves us with its compassion, its vivid depictions of nature and its complex explorations of the human condition. Here is a truly astute writer utterly in control of his art. Featherstone’s fluid, stream of consciousness narrative style is an immediate hook. There is not a breath of hesitation as the reader plunges into Patrick’s story, into his mind and his world. We feel for him, we wish him well, we wish he’d take something for himself. And we exult when he does.’ Living Arts Canberra

‘My Heart is a Little Wild Thing beautifully explores the permutations of love – of intimacy and sex, and of connection and belonging. This is a novel that will stay with me.’ R.W.R. McDonald, author of The Nancys and Nancy Business