The Heart Is a Star

Australian writer Rogers’s arresting debut centers on a stressed-out anesthesiologist dealing with romantic and family drama. Layla Byrnes is on unpaid leave from her Melbourne hospital following a patient’s death while in her care. Her husband, Gabe, blames her dedication to work for his infidelity, and she’s taken a lover who wishes he could have more of her. Meanwhile, her mother, Nora, threatens to kill herself, prompting Layla to visit her in Tasmania, where Layla grew up. Nora also threatens to reveal the awful truth about Layla’s father, Oscar, who drowned on a rescue mission years earlier, and with whom Layla was very close. The novel starts out strong, with beautiful writing and fascinating characters, but falters in its later pages with revelations meant to excuse Nora’s behavior. Still, Rogers excels at recontextualizing events of the past, as Layla sifts through happy memories and sees them in a darker light, and the story of Layla’s troubles with the men in her life reaches a satisfying conclusion. Readers will be enamored. Agent: Murray Weiss, Catalyst Literary. (Jan.)