Vortex | Mindful Puzzles

Vortex

3rd November 2025
Category: Books
Author: Rodney Hall
Publisher: Picador
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Vortex is a sweeping, elegiac historical novel set in Brisbane during Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 royal visit. It interlaces the coming-of-age of 16-year-old Compton Gillespie with fragments of political intrigue, immigrant stories, and quiet domestic moments – each capturing a moment in time. Winner of the 2025 Age Book of the Year, this richly textured, non-linear narrative “skips about with mercurial agility” and draws its power from exploring how memory and history intertwine.

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