Antonia Hayes

official website
Antonia Hayes
Novelist

About

Hello!
My name is
Antonia Hayes
and I’m an Australian writer who lives in San Francisco.

I wrote a novel called

Christos Quote

Relativity is a novel of assured and measured empathy, a story of familial love and familial hurt that is fair, honest and remarkably non-judgemental. Hayes is a convincing writer and a true storyteller: her characters are alive.”

Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and Barracuda

 

Ethan is a bright young boy obsessed with physics and astronomy who lives with his mother, Claire. Claire has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he’s becoming increasingly curious about his father’s absence in his life, wanting to fill in the gaps.

Claire’s life is centred on Ethan; she is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son, and of her own feelings. When Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event from when he was a baby, Claire’s tightly held world is split open.

On the other side of the country, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart. Then a sudden and unexpected call home forces him to confront his past, and the hole in his life that was once filled with his wife Claire and his son Ethan.

When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that – like gravity – pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Heart-wrenching, absorbing and magical, Relativity is an irresistible novel about science, love, unbreakable bonds and irreversible acts.

Graeme Quote

“Original, cleverly plotted and genuinely difficult to put down. The premise is compelling and the plot twists and turns without ever feeling forced. This novel is an intelligent, honest and compassionate look at people and relationships under stress: the shocking revelation [in it] is tempered with real insight as to how such things happen.”

Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect

UK

Australia

USA


Little, Brown UK
Corsair

Published 7 April 2016, £14.99


PENGUIN BOOKS AUSTRALIA
Viking

Published 24 June 2015, AUD$32.99


SIMON & SCHUSTER USA
Gallery Books

Published 3 May 2016, USD$26.00

Germany



Random House Germany
Blanvalet Verlag
Published 22 August 2016, €19.99

France

 FLAMMARION FRANCE
Editions Autrement
Published 2017

Turkey

April Yayınları
Turkey
Published 2017

Relativity
SJ Watson Quote

Relativity is wonderful, a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel that I feel certain will find the huge audience it deserves.”

SJ Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep and Second Life

Order your copy now


Australia

Booktopia

Bookworld

ReadingsWhite

Apple iBooks

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UK 

Apple iBooks

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US 

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  • Emily Maguire, author of Fishing for Tigers and Taming the Beast

    “Hayes has a beautifully light touch with characterisation, allowing the reader to get to know the characters the way we get to know people in real life: layer-by-layer, learning more with each action and interaction. I can’t think when I last read such a nuanced, tender take on guilt, blame and redemption.”

  • Alice Pung, author of Unpolished Gem and Laurinda

    Relativity is a transcendental book that manages to stay grounded and true in its warmth and pathos. With fully realised characters and a gripping storyline that unfolds into a carefully constructed equation of familial love, I could not put it down.”

  • Jo Case, author of Boomer & Me

    “So vividly characterised and the structure is just exquisite: perfectly honed in terms of pace and revelation. And the most gorgeous mother–son relationship in fiction I’ve read in, well, forever.”

  • Courtney Collins, author of The Burial

    “Reveals a moral mystery where each character is a complex universe capable of love and violence. I tore through it, seeking, along with its characters, shards of some lasting truth. It offers that all is relative. But more importantly, forgiveness is all.”

  • THE SATURDAY PAPER

    “Wonderful and beyond inventive . . . if one of the precise pleasures of fiction is a glimpse at someone else’s thought processes, this is indeed a marvel.”

  • Australian Women’s Weekly

    “The race towards the conclusion keeps us guessing, but ultimately, it’s the beautifully drawn characters who stay with you long after the final page.”

  • MARIE CLAIRE AUSTRALIA

    “Books like this don’t come along that often. Grab it with both hands.”

  • READINGS MONTHLY

    “Relativity upends expectations and holds you in its thrall as Hayes asks unsettling questions about the frailties of memory and love . . . An Australian debut not to be missed”

  • SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

    “Hayes has packed a complex story into compelling fiction and Relativity is proof that her star is only beginning to burn.”

  • THE AUSTRALIAN

    “With its excellent characters, sharp writing and intricate exploration of difficult ethical issues, Relativity is a strong debut that should endear itself to many readers.”

Check
My
work

Essay: HOW I WROTE… The Penultimate Scene of ‘Relativity’

I’VE always seen the world primarily in patterns. This is probably why I love mathematics and etymology. […]

Radio Interview: Conversations with Richard Fidler

Antonia became pregnant in her first year of university. Her boyfriend moved in and they had a […]

Essay: Eleventh-Hour Advocacy—can fiction be used to elicit change?

Some writers believe that literature should provoke readers to action – compelling them to change their views on controversial […]

Radio Interview: ABC Books & Arts

Relativity, the first novel by Australian author Antonia Hayes, deals with the aftermath of having a son […]

Marie Claire: Why I Loved Being A Teenage Mum

When Antonia Hayes was 18 she found out she was pregnant. This month her debut novel Relativity, […]

Interview: Good Weekend

In 2001, Antonia Hayes had what she now describes as "a pretty lousy Christmas". Outside, the world was grim enough (September 11, anthrax, the beating drum of an impending war). But indoors, Hayes was facing a far more personal ordeal: sitting bedside in a Sydney hospital, coming to terms with the idea her infant son, Julian, might die.

Best Australian Essays 2014

Contributor to The Best Australian Essays 2014. In The Best Australian Essays 2014, Robert Manne assembles his […]

Essay: Meanjin (Wolf Like Me)

Essay in Meanjin, Volume 73, Number 1, 2014

Short Story & Essay: Sincere Forms of Flattery

I contributed a short story ‘Next of Kin’ and accompanying essay to O&S Publishing’s SFOF

Albert Tucker Slow Coffee Stop Motion

Stop motion video made for coffee pop-up, Albert Tucker Small Coffee.

Emerging Writers’ Festival: An Interview with Benjamin Law

Video interview with Ben Law for EWF.

Emerging Writers’ Festival: An Interview with Graeme Simsion

Video interview for EWF with Graeme Simsion

Stop Motion: Antonia & David’s Wedding

Saturday 9th March 2013, Milton NSW

Daily Life: From teen escort to fashion muse

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on Zahia Dehar.

Daily Life: $3.5 million? She’s worth it

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on Lena Dunham’s book deal.

Daily Life: Is Pinterest killing feminism?

Are all the messy French braids, Mason jars brimming with cocktails and preachy inspirational quotes turning the […]

Daily Life: Bat for Lashes NSFW cover

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on the new Bat for Lashes album artwork.

Daily Life: Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult?

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on why it’s so hard to make friends as an […]

Daily Life: Teenage Parenthood

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on teenage parenthood.

Daily Life: Why I’m Not Having a Hens Night

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life about hens nights and bachelorette parties.

Daily Life: We’re not doing Santa

Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life about being Santa.

Peri & Justin’s Wedding Video

Lipdub video made for Peri & Justin’s wedding on 31st May 2012 in New York City.
Events

Events

NEW YORK

Women of Letters NYC

Joe’s Pub

Women of Letters is everyone’s favorite literary salon. Every month, New York’s best and brightest women come together on stage to celebrate the lost art of letter writing. Expect laughter, tears, and camaraderie as host Sofija Stefanovic welcomes guests reading “A letter to my never-again”. Together on stage for the first time ever: Legendary groupie and author of I’m With the Band PAMELA DES BARRES; Iconic poet, prolific author and cult figure EILEEN MYLES; Beloved playwright and creator of Ironbound MARTYNA MAJOK; Revered writer and senior editor at Marie Claire JEN ORTIZ; Award-winning poet and author of Our Andromeda BRENDA SHAUGHNESSY; Critically acclaimed writer and author of Relativity ANTONIA HAYES

Wednesday May 4th 2016, Doors at 6:00pm, Show at 7:00pm
Joe’s Pub at The Public
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10003

MORE INFO

SAN FRANCISCO 2016

Green Apple Books on the Park

Antonia Hayes in Conversation with Sophie Cunningham

Tuesday May 10 2016 – 7:30pm
1231 9th Avenue, SF CA 94122
Antonia Hayes talks about her debut novel, Relativity, with Sophie Cunningham.

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LONDON

VANGUARD READINGS

Vanguard Readings is a monthly series of short readings by new writers and established authors. Faber Academy alumni Matthew Blakstad, Antonia Hayes and Laura Powell read from their debut novels.
Thursday April 21 2016, 7:30pm
The Peckham Pelican
92 Peckham Road
SE15 5PY
London, United Kingdom

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PORTLAND

READING AT POWELL’S BOOKS

Antonia Hayes reads from Relativity

Monday May 16 2016, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W Burnside Street
Portland, OR 97209

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CRAWLEY

CRAWLEY WORDFEST 2016

New Faces of Fiction

New Faces of Fiction introduces two new writers as they prepare to unveil their first novels to the world; Rebecca Thornton and Antonia Hayes. Discover how they successfully negotiated the turbulent world of publishing to make it.
Friday April 22 2016, 7:00pm
Crawley Library

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SYDNEY 2016

Sydney Writers’ Festival 2016

NEW AUSTRALIAN VOICES

Thursday 19 May 2016, 10:30am
The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, The Rocks
Reading and panel with Miles Allinson and Josephine Rowe with Meredith Jaffé

HEART & SOUL: CREATING CHARACTERS THAT MATTER

Friday 20 May 2016, 3:00pm
Pier 4/5 The Waterfront, End of Pier 4/5, Walsh Bay
Panel with Inga Simpson and Kelly Doust with John Purcell

ANTONIA HAYES: A UNIVERSE OF ONE’S OWN

Sunday 22 May 2016, 10:00am
Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage, Pier 2/3, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Lecture: Antonia Hayes tells us we can dare to disturb the universe before A Room of One’s Own turns 100.

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INDONESIA

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2015

LIFE IN MINIATURE

Saturday 31 October 2015, 9am
Indus. Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Panel with Mireille Juchau and Emily Bitto with Kirsti Melville

MAKING IT

Saturday 31 October 2015, 11.45am
Joglo @ Taman Baca. Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Panel with Abigail Ulman, Liam Pieper and Rohan Jio with Sam Cooney

IN A CHILD’S MIND

Saturday 31 October 2015, 2.30pm
Indus. Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Panel with Sofie Laguna and Emily Bitto with Kirsti Melville

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SAN FRANCISCO

Green Apple Books on the Park

STEVE TOLTZ in Conversation

Tuesday October 6 2015 – 7:30pm
1231 9th Avenue, SF CA 94122
Steve Toltz will talk about Quicksand, his follow-up to the Man Booker Prize shortlisted A Fraction of the Whole, with San Francisco-based novelist Antonia Hayes.

NCIBA DISCOVERY SHOW 2015

AUTHOR BUZZ LUNCH

Thursday October 15 2015 – 12pm
South San Francisco Convention Center

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Hobart

TASMANIA Writers’ Festival 2015

Keeping the Reader Guessing – Recipes for a Page Turner

Saturday 12 September 2015, 8pm
John Webb Room, Hadley’s Orient Hotel
Panel with Rachael Treasure and Ann Turner with Polly McGee

Writing the Unspeakable

Sunday 13 September 2015, 10am
George Cartwright Room, Hadley’s Orient Hotel
Panel with Stephanie Bishop and Peter Timms with Jane McCredie

In Conversation with Richard Fidler

Sunday 13 September 2015, 11.30am
George Cartwright Room, Hadley’s Orient Hotel
Recorded for ABC Radio

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Brisbane

Brisbane Writers’ Festival 2015

MASTERCLASS The Art of DEBUT

Friday, 4 September 2015, 2pm – 5pm
Loris Williams Room, SLQ
Bookings Required

RELATIVITY

Saturday, 5 September 2015, 4pm
Theatre, QLD Museum
In Conversation with Sky Kirkham

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Melbourne

Melbourne Writers’ Festival 2015

Relativity

Saturday, 29 August 2015, 11:30am ACMI The Cube

The Rereaders: Live at MWF

Saturday, 29 August 2015, 4pm ACMI The Cube

Closing Night Party

Sunday, 30 August 2015, 7pm The Toff in Town

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Sydney

Authors up the Cross: Antonia Hayes

In Conversation with Benjamin Law

Tuesday 25 August 2015 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Kings Cross Library
50-52 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross

MORE INFO

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