What I Would Do to You

‘Surprising, ferocious and stubbornly full of heart.’
Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town

'Books of this calibre are hard to find, especially from debut authors. '
Alicia Guiney, Readings

'An original and powerful thriller.'
Lyn Yeowart, author of The Silent Listener

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A near-future Australia.
The death penalty is back. But if the victim’s family wants the perpetrator to die, they have to do it themselves. Twenty-four hours alone in a room with the condemned. No cameras. No microphones. Just whatever punishment they decide befits the crime.

Ten-year-old Lucy was murdered.
Through counselling sessions with their court-appointed psychologist, we learn the stories of her family members: Lucy’s two mothers – Stella and Matisse – her much older brother and her bookish teenage sister, who is too young to participate in the execution, but who has plans of her own . . .

Secrets and grief threaten to break the family.
As the execution date nears, already-struggling Stella remains adamant that she must carry out the punishment. But it becomes clear that if she steps into that room, the family may lose her too.