''Careless'' is a 2006 novel by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n author Deborah Robertson.

Dedication

"For my brothers, Scott and Tony."

Plot summary

The novel follows the lives of four protagonists - Pearl, Anna, Sonia and Adam - who have all been touched by grief and despair. Suffering alone they are all drawn together by a tragic event.

Awards

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

, 2008: longlisted Impac 2008 Longlist
*

Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

, South East Asia and South Pacific Region, Best Book, 2007: shortlisted *

Miles Franklin Literary Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

, 2007: shortlisted *

Orange Prize The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...

for Fiction (UK), 2007: longlisted *

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, 2007: shortlisted *

Nita Kibble Literary Award The Kibble Literary Awards comprise two awards—the Nita B Kibble Literary Award, which recognises the work of an established Australian female writer, and the Dobbie Literary Award, which is for a first published work by a female writer. The Awar ...

, 2007: winner *Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), Australian Literary Fiction Book of the Year, 2007: shortlisted *

The Age Book of the Year ''The Age'' Book of the Year Awards were annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's ''The Age'' newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. After 1998, they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Initially, two awar ...

Award, Fiction Prize, 2007: shortlisted *

Western Australian Premier's Book Awards The Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an annual book award provided by the Government of Western Australia, and managed by the State Library of Western Australia. History and format Annual literary awards were inaugurated by the Wes ...

, Fiction, 2006: shortlisted *

Colin Roderick Award The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presented ...

, 2006: winner References may be found on the individual award pages.

Reviews

Rachel Slater in ''Australian Women's Book Review'' noted: "Death and grief are central to this novel, and in particular the concept of public versus private grief and the questions around how art can deal with a subject of such magnitude...''Careless'' offers an intimate yet shared portrayal of grief in all its complexities and reminds us that our promises of care can never really be kept.""The (Un)recovered" by Rachel Slater, ''Australian Women's Book Review'', Vol. 20, No. 1, 2008
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References

2006 Australian novels {{2000s-novel-stub