Theory & Practice

One of the most anticipated literary releases of the year, this gripping novel changes the game on what fiction can be and do.

It’s 1986, and ‘beautiful, radical ideas’ are in the air. A young woman arrives in Melbourne to research the novels of Virginia Woolf. In bohemian St Kilda she meets artists, activists, students—and Kit. He claims to be in a ‘deconstructed’ relationship, and they become lovers. Meanwhile, her work on the Woolfmother falls into disarray.

Theory & Practice is a mesmerising account of desire and jealousy, truth and shame. It makes and unmakes fiction as we read, expanding our notion of what a novel can contain.

Michelle de Kretser, one of Australia’s most celebrated writers, bends fiction, essay and memoir into exhilarating new shapes to uncover what happens when life smashes through the boundaries of art.

PRAISE:

‘Thrillingly original.’ Sigrid Nunez

‘I loved it…raw, funny, truthful, youthful’ Tessa Hadley

‘Startlingly intelligent and stylish.’ Jasmine Vojdani, New York Magazine
‘Perfect for a summer read, but also with a timeless appeal.’ Good Weekend

‘a comic and, ultimately, moving window onto the universal human capacity for self-deception.’ [Our favourite hidden gem books of 2025] New York Times

‘Utterly absorbing.’ Felicity Plunkett, Saturday Paper

‘I’ve read it twice…The more you look at it, the more it offers you.’ Kate Evans, ABC News

‘Theory & Practice blazes with intelligence, passion and wit. I devoured it, greedily, in a single glorious sitting.’ Sarah Waters

‘Michelle de Kretser, one of the best writers in the English language, has written her most brilliant book yet. It is, in short, a masterpiece.’ Neel Mukherjee

‘A brilliant account of what it means to be a feminist and wrestling with universal emotions that cannot be denied. It’s a slim book, something you can finish in one glorious and insightful sitting.’ Women’s Agenda

‘A thought-provoking narrative on desire, shame and moral complexities.’ Harper’s Bazaar

‘Sharp-witted and mesmerising…The narrator’s clever political insights and beautiful depictions of art and literature offer readers a view into a captivating mind. De Kretser is at the top of her game.’ Publishers Weekly (starred review)