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  • Published: 28 March 2016
  • ISBN: 9780857988089
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 336

Special




An alarming glimpse into our future from acclaimed Australian author Georgia Blain.

I am a Lotto Girl. I should not be here. Why haven’t they come for me?
Fern Marlow is alone, datawiped and in hiding. Her mobie says she’s Delia Greene, a ReCorp refuse sorter. Every day she queues to work, to earn just enough to stay alive. Every night she dreams of the past and the life she’s meant to be living, back at Halston, an exclusive school for those wealthy enough – or lucky enough – to be genetically designed.

Her rescuers said her former life was a lie, that she can trust no one. They also said they’d come back for her, and they haven’t.

Fern doesn’t know who to believe. To uncover the truth, and save herself, Fern must answer the one question she can’t face. Is she special?

An alarming glimpse into our future from acclaimed Australian author Georgia Blain.

'Terrifying, prophetic and beautiful' - James Bradley, author of CLADE

  • Published: 28 March 2016
  • ISBN: 9780857988089
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 336

About the author

Georgia Blain

Georgia Blain published novels for adults and young adults, essays, short stories, and a memoir. Her first novel was the bestselling Closed for Winter, which was made into a feature film. Her books have been shortlisted for numerous awards including the NSW, Victorian, and SA Premiers' Literary Awards, the ALS Gold Medal, the Stella Prize, and the Nita B. Kibble Award for her memoir Births Deaths Marriages. Georgia's works include The Secret Lives of Men, Too Close to Home, and the YA novel Darkwater. In 2016, Georgia published Between a Wolf and a Dog and the YA novel Special (Penguin Random House Australia). Between a Wolf and a Dog was shortlisted for the 2017 Stella Prize, and was awarded the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction and the 2016 University of Queensland Fiction Book Award. Georgia passed away in December 2016.

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Praise for Special

Terrifying, prophetic and beautiful

James Bradley, author of CLADE

Special is smart, complex, nuanced and deeply thought provoking . . . Here at last is a dystopian story that challenges us with big themes and ideas; Special is a must read for those who love smart, sophisticated storytelling – girls in particular will love following Fern’s development journey from unlikable, incurious child to a thoughtful and spirited young adult.

Athina Clarke, readings.com.au