Tessa is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister. She has
worked her way up from a working-class background to be at
the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and lighting
up the shadows of doubt in any case. Her masterful line of
questioning in the courtroom has netted Tessa win after win,
freeing men accused of rape and sexual assault. As
controversial as it is, this is her job - it's just about the facts
and who can game the system.
Working late one night, Tessa falls into a casual relationship
with Julian, a coworker, an attorney who comes from an
elite, wealthy family. A light-hearted affair, with a man she
admires. She begins to wonder if perhaps there is a future for
the two of them.
One sickening night, though, Julian makes a choice and
Tessa finds herself in a position countless women - one in
three - have before her. And she's faced with a gutwrenching, life-changing decision: will she take the stand to
testify about her rape, with the full awareness that the
system has not been built to protect her?
Drawn from the internationally acclaimed play, Prima Facie is
a propulsive, raw look at the price victims pay for speaking
out and the system that sets them up to fail. With breakneck
prose and a devastating emotional intensity, this is a novel
for our times, by one of Australia's most important writers.


Suzie Miller is a contemporary international playwright, screenwriter and novelist. Based in both London, UK, and Sydney, Australia, Miller's work has been produced around the world winning multiple prestigious awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play 2023, for her smash hit one-woman play Prima Facie, which had a soldout season on London's West End and opened on Broadway in New York, April 2023. Miller is educated in science and law, with a doctorate in drama and mathematics. She practised human rights law before writing full time and is currently developing major projects in theatre, literature and screen.