An important new voice in Australian literature, Melanie Cheng talks about her debut collection of stories, Australia Day. The people she writes about are young, old, rich, poor, married, widowed, Chinese, Lebanese, Christian and Muslim. What they have in common – no matter where they come from – is a desire to belong. The book touches on themes of love, loss, family and identity, while at the same time asking crucial questions about the possibility of human connection in a globalised world.