ABOUT THE BOOK: The Far-Back Country is a compelling novel about the bods of family and home set against the outback landscape. In 1979, at the age of 14, Ray McCullough ran away from his home on a western NSW sheep property following a violent confrontation with his dad, Jim McCullough. He left behind his mother, Delly, and his sisters, Ursula and Tilda.

Now, 41, Ray works as an itinerant cook and labourer across the remote outback. A practical man in love with history and landscape, Ray leads a solitary life, convinced he’s inherited Jim’s streak of violence. 

Ray has spent his life running away from memories of family and home.

When the body of a man is found in a country pub along with Ray’s identification, Ursula believes she can finally lay to rest the search that has defined most of her adult life. After Ursula collects Ray’s belongings, she begins to follow the tracks left by Ray across the far-back country, each one leading her closer to understanding the man he became and why he disappeared all of those years ago. 

The Far-Back Country is an extraordinary story about memory, mistaken identify, false knowledge and how the idea of family can define us. 

HOW TO WIN: To be in the draw send an email to nreynolds@fairfaxmedia.com.au. Include Far-Back Country in the subject-line. Be sure to add your full name and address in the body of the email. The competition will be drawn at random on the afternoon of Friday, November, 8.