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I Want Everything

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I Want Everything

By: Dominic Amerena
Narrated by: Blake Erickson, Heather Mitchell
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Winner of the 2026 MUD Literary Prize
Winner of the 2025 Readings Fiction Prize

It starts with a lie. One small lie to get everything he wants. But one lie leads to another, and another. Caught in his own web of deception, how can he recognise the truth? And what is it going to cost him?

The legendary career of reclusive cult author Brenda Shales remains one of Australia’s last unsolved literary mysteries. Her books took the world by storm before she disappeared from the public eye after a mysterious plagiarism case. But when an ambitious young writer stumbles across Brenda at a Melbourne pool, he realises the scoop of a lifetime is floating in front of him: the truth behind why she vanished without a trace. The
only problem? He must pretend to be someone he’s not to trick the story out of her.

One innocent lie leads to a slew that are definitively not, as Brenda reveals the strange and troubling truth of where her books came from. Yet the more the author unravels about Brenda’s past, the more he begins to question whether Brenda is a reliable narrator. Is she spilling secrets or spinning tales? Is she, like him, little more than a talented thief? To write the book that will make his name, he must balance his ethics and ambition and decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to become the next great Australian writer.

This astonishing debut, full of delicious twists and wicked insights, is a dazzling novel of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the costs of creative ambition.

'A brilliant concept, brilliantly executed.' Bri Lee

'That rare thing, a great contemporary novel.' Lauren Oyler

‘It's rare for a writer to be this good both at crafting a sentence and at making you want to read the next one.’ Naoise Dolan

‘I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. I loved it!’ Rita Bullwinkel

‘A dazzling debut … I Want Everything is a playful, delicious tale of deception that speaks to the human cost of fulfilling naked ambition.’ The Guardian

‘The hype around I Want Everything is richly deserved. This is not just a hot debut novel, but a modern Australian classic …’ The Australian

‘A sharp-tongued literary caper, all pith and vinegar … Amerena dares us to giggle while he rubs salt into the Ozlit wounds’ The Monthly

‘A twisty, faced-paced narrative and deftly playful language …’ ArtsHub

‘A tantalising debut … Delectably deceptive and metafictive’ Books + Publishing

 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Psychological Exciting

Critic reviews

‘I Want Everything is that most exquisite rarity: a brilliant concept, brilliantly executed. Amerena has so precisely rendered and skewered Australian literary culture that I was shrieking with delight while I squirmed in recognition. The tease of a mystery plot had me turning the pages non-stop, but there were real gem-like sentences in here too. And on top of that, he can write women. And on top of that, he can write writing! This book is a rollicking laugh through the ego until the bill of the id comes due. I adored it. I wish I could go back and savour it again for the first time. I'll read anything and everything Amerena does next.’ (Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull and The Work)
‘A twisty-turny, deliciously sneaky and bitingly insightful literary mystery. I laughed, cringed, squirmed, clapped and cheered.’ (Emily Maguire, author of Rapture )
‘I Want Everything is a Russian Doll of a novel set largely in an Australian city. It is a layered mystery. It is an enigma wrapped inside an enigma possibly wrapped inside an enigma. It is a book about the complexities of storytelling and idiocracies of writers. I Want Everything is also a debut novel by Dominic Amerena, a writer of such talent we can only hope he doesn't vanish on us.’ (Tony Birch, author of Women and Children)
‘I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. It's salacious and funny and fun, and has a stay-up-all-night, can't-look-away energy that I adore. I loved it!’ (Rita Bullwinkel, Booker Prize-longlisted author of Headshot)
‘How I loved this novel about books, writing, and the literary life – in all its corrupted glory. Seamlessly crafted, confident and original, I Want Everything took my breath away.’ (Sofie Laguna, Miles Franklin-winning author of The Eye of the Sheep)
‘A delightful literary puzzle, posed to the reader in vibrant and clear-cut prose. “Authenticity”, the demonic past and the treacherous body come under wry examination. It's rare for a writer to be this good both at crafting a sentence and at making you want to read the next one.’ (Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times and The Happy Couple)
‘Composed with stylistic brilliance and structural ingenuity, I Want Everything is that rare thing, a great contemporary novel. While it is first and foremost a hilarious, complex, and profound reflection on the relationship between life and writing, it is also fun to read, entertaining and populated by rich, real characters. Dominic Amerena is a fantastic writer. (Seriously.)’ (Lauren Oyler, author of Fake Accounts and No Judgement)
All stars
Most relevant
Always on shaky ground with unreliable narrators, this is an excellent wander through 1960s, 70s and contemporary Australia too. Exquisite narrative.

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