Title: The Grapevine

Author: Kate Kemp

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Publication Date: 13th March 2025

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Australia, 1979.

It’s the height of summer and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white chequered tiles of her bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, it’s 3 a.m. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering their neighbour has just been murdered.

As the sun rises on Warrah Place, news of Antonio Marietti’s death spreads like wildfire, gossip is exchanged in whispers and suspicion mounts. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, determined to find out what happened, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve. There are secrets behind every closed door in the neighbourhood – and the identity of the murderer is only one of them . . .

Richly atmospheric and simmering with tension, The Grapevine is an acutely observed debut novel about prejudice and suspicion, the hidden lives of women, and how the ties that bind a community can also threaten to break it.

Review:

The Grapevine is a sweltering, suffocating and captivating slow burn of a book. It is a slow burn in a way that works perfectly for the story, as the residents of a suburban street in 1970’s Australia becomes a hotbed of suspicion and mystery after one of the neighbours is murdered. The narrative is split between several of the residents of Warrah Place, with a big chunk being from the perspective of twelve year old Tammy, who takes it upon herself to investigate the death of Antonio Marietti, upon whom she had a bit of a crush. This works really well, Tammy is precocious and a little odd but her youth and naivety means that she sometimes misinterprets certain things, that the reader is far more aware of. It gives the whole thing a real sense of tension and atmosphere, made even more intense by the scorching heat of the setting. 

Kemp is a brilliant and elegant writer, who has crafted a community that is full of characters with nuance and depth. They are all complex and the relationships at play are even more so. In many ways, The Grapevine is all about the women in this story and the way they are treated, mistreated, overlooked or how they have slowly become powerfully angry. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It is a masterclass in simmering beneath the surface tension and oppressive heat building to a satisfyingly twisted conclusion. Highly recommended and one of my favourites of the year so far. 

★★★★★

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and the publisher for my place on this tour and for the copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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