AustLit

'Familial relationships are some of the most complex we develop over the course of our lives. In You Belong Here, Laurie Steed explores the bond of one family, the Slaters, over the course of decades. When Jen and Steven meet in 1970s Melbourne, they rapidly marry, move interstate and begin a family. Soon after they move to the suburbs of Perth, Jen finds herself at home with three children under the age of four and a husband who is absent and distracted due to work. As the years go on, their relationship breaks down and Steven becomes estranged from his three children, Alex, Emily and Jay. While this novel begins with Jen and Steven, their stories are obscured as the kids move through childhood and into adolescence and early adulthood.'  (Introduction)

'For a generation of boys, the youth lit canon often centralised visceral physicality over true intimacy and vulnerability. But for today’s young queer readers grappling with questions of gender and desire, a new canon is emerging that captures more nuanced and diverse ways to come of age.' (Introduction)

'A minor kidnapping of sorts on a trip home to Perth reveals the various ways a family copes with the worst kind of uncertainty, both as individuals and together.'