Hush, Little Bird

Hush, Little Bird

Rose, who has been convicted of a shocking crime, and Birdy, who has been saving all her anger for Rose. It is Rose who should have protected her and kept her safe. Birdy was little but Rose was big and she knows Rose could have saved her.

This is a story about monsters who hide in plain sight and about the secrets we keep from ourselves. It is about children who are betrayed and the adults who fail them. As Birdy and Rose reveal their pasts we start to realise that they have much more in common than their crimes. What is the terrible truth that connects them and what will happen when it is revealed?

Nicole Trope is a former high school teacher with a Masters Degree in Children's Literature. In 2005 she was one of the winners of the Varuna Awards for Manuscript Development. In 2009 her young adult novel titled I Ran Away First was shortlisted for the Text Publishing Prize. Her previous three adult novels are The Boy Under the Table, Three Hours Late and The Secrets in Silence which was an Australian Women's Weekly -Great Read.'

Hush, Little Bird
Allen and Unwin
Author: Nicole Trope
RRP: $29.99

Interview with Nicole Trope

Question: What inspired the story of Hush, Little Bird?

Nicole Trope: I was inspired by recent events in the media both here and overseas, but for me that's just the starting point. I am interested in the people that the media doesn't really talk about. A news story cannot tell you what life is like for people accused of the unthinkable or for those who stand by them.


Question: Was it difficult to write of two very different women?

Nicole Trope: Not at all. They are both such strong characters. I originally tried to make Birdy a more average character but I couldn't seem to change her way of speaking. It was the same with Rose.


Question: How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?

Nicole Trope: Most of it. I have the same fascination that most writers do with what is really going on behind closed doors and I am also very aware of the different sides to each story. I like to explore an issue from different perspectives so I can understand for myself why people make the choices they do.


Question: There are several issues raised in this book. Was this deliberate or did the story evolve this way?

Nicole Trope: Every novel evolves in some way. This novel was originally written one way and when I got to the end I realised that it wasn't really working so I started again! While there is always one central idea in the novel I do find that other things come up as I write.


Question: How does it feel to be compared, as a writer, to Jodi Picoult and Caroline Overington?

Nicole Trope: It's always nice to be compared to an author who has done really well, especially Jodi Picoult whose writing I have always enjoyed.


Question: What's next for you?

Nicole Trope: I am, as always, working on my next novel but I am in the early stages of that at the moment.


Interview by Brooke Hunter