Shortlisted for the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award
Published by Transit Lounge, order here
You can read an article in Spectrum about the background to Out of the Woods here.
Reviews
‘Shirm addresses serious questions of bearing witness and ideas of resistance in this ambitious and absorbing novel.’ Jason Steger, The Booklist
‘With subtle power, the story captures the complications of history and the chilling experiences of survivors, contrasting this with the understated normality of the woman’s middle-class comfort, and the ordinary aspect of the man on trial. Does bearing witness to the tragedy and trauma of others forever taint our world view?’ Qld Literary Award Judges
‘…a literary study in how we process inhumanity.’ Fiction Pick of the Week, The Sydney Morning Herald/ The Age
‘A gripping narrative that incorporates both real and fictional events, she has crafted a story that allows readers to re-evaluate their understanding of shame, conviction and human cruelty…. an original take on how one can move forward in a world that has been damaged by indescribable tragedy.’ The Australian
‘What does it mean to bear witness?…Gretchen Shirm’s fourth novel, offers a poignant, insightful answer… the story asks probing questions about how we can begin to comprehend the incomprehensible.’ Most Anticipated Australian Books of April 2025, The Guardian
‘Shirm’s writing is superb as she grapples with a moral question that is all too pertinent today…after the trial adjourns, Jess finds that ‘the more time that elapsed between herself and the events she had heard about in court, the more vivid they seemed’. Such is the art of this novel that since I finished reading it, I have felt much the same way.’ Penny Russell, Australian Book Review
‘A reminder of the importance of bearing witness.’ The Good Weekend
‘Out of the Woods offers compelling observations on the human need to articulate ourselves and the inadequacy of language for the task….’ The Guardian
‘Out of the Woods makes a powerful statement about bones: the bones of men and boys killed in the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica, during the Bosnian War. The bones of children and husbands and brothers and friends; the bones of memory, rendered bare by time and memory and scrutiny or lack of it. Bones unearthed, in part, by the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 2006….This is a difficult balance, full of ethical and moral decisions — both for the world and for a novelist, an artist — and Shirm handles it beautifully.’ ABC News Online
‘This layered mediation distances the messenger from the receiver and changes the shape of the original words. This instance is just one among many examples of how Shirm expertly measures linguistic weight throughout her prose, with the words themselves feeling as potent as the characters and concepts they conjure….This is a story that will stay with the reader and is highly recommended for those who have overcome suffering, for those who are still in the process, and for anyone who has ever projected empathy as a form of self-defence.’ Arts Hub, read the full review here.
‘The overall effect – impressively – is one of voices blending and speaking to each other. As such, the novel is at once a large and far-reaching story of crimes against humanity from the not-too-distant past, and a no-less small, personal story of coming to terms with past psychological abuse….A sobering message for our times. ‘ The Conversation. Read the full review here
‘This is a book that looks into your soul.’ Stephanie Bishop
‘Shirm’s empathy and intelligent precision exert a quiet moral authority on every page.’ Delia Falconer
‘Out of the Woods is a stunning literary novel, written in lyrical prose interspersed with true facts…This book will force you to think. And it will encourage a strong feeling of compassion that only comes from being in close contact with people who have endured a great deal of incomparable suffering.’ Cass Moriaty, The Avid Reader
Interviews
Interview with Andrew Pople on 2SER’s Final Draft
Drive on Eastside FM with Alan Field
Gretchen Shirm 