official website
Antonia Hayes
Novelist
Hello!
My name is
Antonia Hayes
and I’m an Australian writer who lives in San Francisco.
I wrote a novel called
“Relativity is a novel of assured and measured empathy, a story of familial love and familial hurt that is fair, honest and remarkably non-judgemental. Hayes is a convincing writer and a true storyteller: her characters are alive.”
Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and Barracuda
Ethan is a bright young boy obsessed with physics and astronomy who lives with his mother, Claire. Claire has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he’s becoming increasingly curious about his father’s absence in his life, wanting to fill in the gaps.
Claire’s life is centred on Ethan; she is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son, and of her own feelings. When Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event from when he was a baby, Claire’s tightly held world is split open.
On the other side of the country, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart. Then a sudden and unexpected call home forces him to confront his past, and the hole in his life that was once filled with his wife Claire and his son Ethan.
When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that – like gravity – pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.
Heart-wrenching, absorbing and magical, Relativity is an irresistible novel about science, love, unbreakable bonds and irreversible acts.
“Original, cleverly plotted and genuinely difficult to put down. The premise is compelling and the plot twists and turns without ever feeling forced. This novel is an intelligent, honest and compassionate look at people and relationships under stress: the shocking revelation [in it] is tempered with real insight as to how such things happen.”
Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect
UK
Australia
USA
“Relativity is wonderful, a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel that I feel certain will find the huge audience it deserves.”
SJ Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep and Second Life
Order your copy now
Australia
UK
US
Emily Maguire, author of Fishing for Tigers and Taming the Beast
“Hayes has a beautifully light touch with characterisation, allowing the reader to get to know the characters the way we get to know people in real life: layer-by-layer, learning more with each action and interaction. I can’t think when I last read such a nuanced, tender take on guilt, blame and redemption.”
Alice Pung, author of Unpolished Gem and Laurinda
“Relativity is a transcendental book that manages to stay grounded and true in its warmth and pathos. With fully realised characters and a gripping storyline that unfolds into a carefully constructed equation of familial love, I could not put it down.”
Jo Case, author of Boomer & Me
“So vividly characterised and the structure is just exquisite: perfectly honed in terms of pace and revelation. And the most gorgeous mother–son relationship in fiction I’ve read in, well, forever.”
Courtney Collins, author of The Burial
“Reveals a moral mystery where each character is a complex universe capable of love and violence. I tore through it, seeking, along with its characters, shards of some lasting truth. It offers that all is relative. But more importantly, forgiveness is all.”
THE SATURDAY PAPER
“Wonderful and beyond inventive . . . if one of the precise pleasures of fiction is a glimpse at someone else’s thought processes, this is indeed a marvel.”
Australian Women’s Weekly
“The race towards the conclusion keeps us guessing, but ultimately, it’s the beautifully drawn characters who stay with you long after the final page.”
MARIE CLAIRE AUSTRALIA
“Books like this don’t come along that often. Grab it with both hands.”
READINGS MONTHLY
“Relativity upends expectations and holds you in its thrall as Hayes asks unsettling questions about the frailties of memory and love . . . An Australian debut not to be missed”
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
“Hayes has packed a complex story into compelling fiction and Relativity is proof that her star is only beginning to burn.”
THE AUSTRALIAN
“With its excellent characters, sharp writing and intricate exploration of difficult ethical issues, Relativity is a strong debut that should endear itself to many readers.”
Check
My
work
Radio Interview: Conversations with Richard Fidler
Antonia became pregnant in her first year of university. Her boyfriend moved in and they had a […]
Essay: Eleventh-Hour Advocacy—can fiction be used to elicit change?
Some writers believe that literature should provoke readers to action – compelling them to change their views on controversial […]
Radio Interview: ABC Books & Arts
Relativity, the first novel by Australian author Antonia Hayes, deals with the aftermath of having a son […]
Marie Claire: Why I Loved Being A Teenage Mum
When Antonia Hayes was 18 she found out she was pregnant. This month her debut novel Relativity, […]
Interview: Good Weekend
In 2001, Antonia Hayes had what she now describes as "a pretty lousy Christmas". Outside, the world was grim enough (September 11, anthrax, the beating drum of an impending war). But indoors, Hayes was facing a far more personal ordeal: sitting bedside in a Sydney hospital, coming to terms with the idea her infant son, Julian, might die.
Best Australian Essays 2014
Contributor to The Best Australian Essays 2014. In The Best Australian Essays 2014, Robert Manne assembles his […]
Essay: Meanjin (Wolf Like Me)
Essay in Meanjin, Volume 73, Number 1, 2014
Short Story & Essay: Sincere Forms of Flattery
I contributed a short story ‘Next of Kin’ and accompanying essay to O&S Publishing’s SFOF
Albert Tucker Slow Coffee Stop Motion
Stop motion video made for coffee pop-up, Albert Tucker Small Coffee.
Emerging Writers’ Festival: An Interview with Benjamin Law
Video interview with Ben Law for EWF.
Emerging Writers’ Festival: An Interview with Graeme Simsion
Video interview for EWF with Graeme Simsion
Stop Motion: Antonia & David’s Wedding
Saturday 9th March 2013, Milton NSW
Daily Life: From teen escort to fashion muse
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on Zahia Dehar.
Daily Life: $3.5 million? She’s worth it
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on Lena Dunham’s book deal.
Daily Life: Is Pinterest killing feminism?
Are all the messy French braids, Mason jars brimming with cocktails and preachy inspirational quotes turning the […]
Daily Life: Bat for Lashes NSFW cover
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on the new Bat for Lashes album artwork.
Daily Life: Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult?
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on why it’s so hard to make friends as an […]
Daily Life: Teenage Parenthood
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life on teenage parenthood.
Daily Life: Why I’m Not Having a Hens Night
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life about hens nights and bachelorette parties.
Daily Life: We’re not doing Santa
Opinion piece for Fairfax website Daily Life about being Santa.
Peri & Justin’s Wedding Video
Lipdub video made for Peri & Justin’s wedding on 31st May 2012 in New York City.
Events
NEW YORK
Women of Letters NYC
Joe’s Pub
Women of Letters is everyone’s favorite literary salon. Every month, New York’s best and brightest women come together on stage to celebrate the lost art of letter writing. Expect laughter, tears, and camaraderie as host Sofija Stefanovic welcomes guests reading “A letter to my never-again”. Together on stage for the first time ever: Legendary groupie and author of I’m With the Band PAMELA DES BARRES; Iconic poet, prolific author and cult figure EILEEN MYLES; Beloved playwright and creator of Ironbound MARTYNA MAJOK; Revered writer and senior editor at Marie Claire JEN ORTIZ; Award-winning poet and author of Our Andromeda BRENDA SHAUGHNESSY; Critically acclaimed writer and author of Relativity ANTONIA HAYES
Wednesday May 4th 2016, Doors at 6:00pm, Show at 7:00pm
Joe’s Pub at The Public
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10003
SAN FRANCISCO 2016
Green Apple Books on the Park
Antonia Hayes in Conversation with Sophie Cunningham
Tuesday May 10 2016 – 7:30pm
1231 9th Avenue, SF CA 94122
Antonia Hayes talks about her debut novel, Relativity, with Sophie Cunningham.
LONDON
VANGUARD READINGS
Vanguard Readings is a monthly series of short readings by new writers and established authors. Faber Academy alumni Matthew Blakstad, Antonia Hayes and Laura Powell read from their debut novels.
Thursday April 21 2016, 7:30pm
The Peckham Pelican
92 Peckham Road
SE15 5PY
London, United Kingdom
PORTLAND
READING AT POWELL’S BOOKS
Antonia Hayes reads from Relativity
Monday May 16 2016, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W Burnside Street
Portland, OR 97209
CRAWLEY
CRAWLEY WORDFEST 2016
New Faces of Fiction
New Faces of Fiction introduces two new writers as they prepare to unveil their first novels to the world; Rebecca Thornton and Antonia Hayes. Discover how they successfully negotiated the turbulent world of publishing to make it.
Friday April 22 2016, 7:00pm
Crawley Library
SYDNEY 2016
Sydney Writers’ Festival 2016
NEW AUSTRALIAN VOICES
Thursday 19 May 2016, 10:30am
The Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, The Rocks
Reading and panel with Miles Allinson and Josephine Rowe with Meredith Jaffé
HEART & SOUL: CREATING CHARACTERS THAT MATTER
Friday 20 May 2016, 3:00pm
Pier 4/5 The Waterfront, End of Pier 4/5, Walsh Bay
Panel with Inga Simpson and Kelly Doust with John Purcell
ANTONIA HAYES: A UNIVERSE OF ONE’S OWN
Sunday 22 May 2016, 10:00am
Pier 2/3 Curiosity Stage, Pier 2/3, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Lecture: Antonia Hayes tells us we can dare to disturb the universe before A Room of One’s Own turns 100.
INDONESIA
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2015
LIFE IN MINIATURE
Saturday 31 October 2015, 9am
Indus. Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Panel with Mireille Juchau and Emily Bitto with Kirsti Melville
MAKING IT
Saturday 31 October 2015, 11.45am
Joglo @ Taman Baca. Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Panel with Abigail Ulman, Liam Pieper and Rohan Jio with Sam Cooney
IN A CHILD’S MIND
Saturday 31 October 2015, 2.30pm
Indus. Jalan Raya Sanggingan
Panel with Sofie Laguna and Emily Bitto with Kirsti Melville
SAN FRANCISCO
Green Apple Books on the Park
STEVE TOLTZ in Conversation
Tuesday October 6 2015 – 7:30pm
1231 9th Avenue, SF CA 94122
Steve Toltz will talk about Quicksand, his follow-up to the Man Booker Prize shortlisted A Fraction of the Whole, with San Francisco-based novelist Antonia Hayes.
NCIBA DISCOVERY SHOW 2015
AUTHOR BUZZ LUNCH
Thursday October 15 2015 – 12pm
South San Francisco Convention Center
Hobart
TASMANIA Writers’ Festival 2015
Keeping the Reader Guessing – Recipes for a Page Turner
Saturday 12 September 2015, 8pm
John Webb Room, Hadley’s Orient Hotel
Panel with Rachael Treasure and Ann Turner with Polly McGee
Writing the Unspeakable
Sunday 13 September 2015, 10am
George Cartwright Room, Hadley’s Orient Hotel
Panel with Stephanie Bishop and Peter Timms with Jane McCredie
In Conversation with Richard Fidler
Sunday 13 September 2015, 11.30am
George Cartwright Room, Hadley’s Orient Hotel
Recorded for ABC Radio
Brisbane
Brisbane Writers’ Festival 2015
MASTERCLASS The Art of DEBUT
Friday, 4 September 2015, 2pm – 5pm
Loris Williams Room, SLQ
Bookings Required
RELATIVITY
Saturday, 5 September 2015, 4pm
Theatre, QLD Museum
In Conversation with Sky Kirkham
Melbourne
Melbourne Writers’ Festival 2015
Relativity
Saturday, 29 August 2015, 11:30am ACMI The Cube
The Rereaders: Live at MWF
Saturday, 29 August 2015, 4pm ACMI The Cube
Closing Night Party
Sunday, 30 August 2015, 7pm The Toff in Town
Sydney
Authors up the Cross: Antonia Hayes
In Conversation with Benjamin Law
Tuesday 25 August 2015 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Kings Cross Library
50-52 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross
