I Want Everything

Winner of the 2025 Readings Fiction Prize

It starts with a lie. One small lie to get everything he wants. But one lie leads to another, and another. Caught in his own web of deception, how can he recognise the truth? And what is it going to cost him?

The legendary career of reclusive cult author Brenda Shales remains one of Australia’s last unsolved literary mysteries. Her books took the world by storm before she disappeared from the public eye after a mysterious plagiarism case. But when an ambitious young writer stumbles across Brenda at a Melbourne pool, he realises the scoop of a lifetime is floating in front of him: the truth behind why she vanished without a trace. The
only problem? He must pretend to be someone he’s not to trick the story out of her.

One innocent lie leads to a slew that are definitively not, as Brenda reveals the strange and troubling truth of where her books came from. Yet the more the author unravels about Brenda’s past, the more he begins to question whether Brenda is a reliable narrator. Is she spilling secrets or spinning tales? Is she, like him, little more than a talented thief? To write the book that will make his name, he must balance his ethics and ambition and decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to become the next great Australian writer.

This astonishing debut, full of delicious twists and wicked insights, is a dazzling novel of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the costs of creative ambition.

'A brilliant concept, brilliantly executed.' Bri Lee

'That rare thing, a great contemporary novel.' Lauren Oyler

‘It's rare for a writer to be this good both at crafting a sentence and at making you want to read the next one.’  Naoise Dolan

‘I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. I loved it!’ Rita Bullwinkel

‘A dazzling debut … I Want Everything is a playful, delicious tale of deception that speaks to the human cost of fulfilling naked ambition.’ The Guardian
 
‘The hype around I Want Everything is richly deserved. This is not just a hot debut novel, but a modern Australian classic …’ The Australian
 
‘A sharp-tongued literary caper, all pith and vinegar …  Amerena dares us to giggle while he rubs salt into the Ozlit wounds’ The Monthly
 
‘A twisty, faced-paced narrative and deftly playful language …’ ArtsHub

‘A tantalising debut … Delectably deceptive and metafictive’ Books + Publishing