The World Beneath Her Feet

By Holly Ringland

Recommended by Kerry

“Holly Ringland fans will immerse themselves in her new novel, The World Beneath Her Feet. As you would expect, the novel is filled with lush language and intriguing characters.  The mystery behind the life of the central character, Maggie Byrd, is gradually revealed through tantalising flashbacks. What is Maggie hiding? Who is Adam Wilson? asks her fiancé, Joe. What did Maggie do that now threatens to unravel the life she has built in London?

Built on the metaphor of opalization, the process by which organic material is fossilised and transformed into opal, this novel takes the reader on a journey from the Natural History Museum in London where Maggie works, back to the lush landscape of Queensland of Far North Queensland where Maggie spent her teen years. Can Maggie mend and move on from what was broken in those years? Or will she be drawn to stay in this landscape which meant so much to her?

Holly Ringland’s descriptions evoke the landscape and wildlife that she so clearly loves. This is a novel to savour and sink into.” -Kerry

4th Estate, 2026