Auckland’s Amy McDaid is an exciting new talent on our literary scene. Her debut novel, Fake Baby, strikes an elegant balance between dark comedy and compassion. All three of its characters are in crisis. Stephen is mentally ill and believes his dead father is going to destroy the world. Jaanvi has lost her baby, and adopted an eerily lifelike baby doll. Lucas is a pharmacist who has bungled a prescription. The novel tells of nine dramatic days in their lives.

Juggling shift work in a neonatal unit and caring for her daughter, McDaid has needed resilience and passion to keep writing but it’s paid off - Fake Baby has spent five consecutive weeks in the bestseller charts so far since its release.