MATIA
How to read
Matia is available now in paperback via UWA Publishing (please note that UWA Publishing is closed 19 December 2024-6 January 2025). Matia is available in Australian bookstores. It's also available as an Ebook on all the online platforms.
If you want to support indie bookstores please search here to find Matia in stock or here to find your closest bookstore.
You can also request your local library to order in a copy of Matia.
Print reviews
"The ambivalences of migration play out through the tensions of mother-daughter relationships, on a domestic canvas which swims with lingering superstitions, trauma, and the intensely patriarchal treatment of women, but also the delight and pride of Greek culture, family and cuisine" - CAMERON WOODHEAD & FIONA CAPP, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
“Through four different points of view, Tsokos Purtill excavates what it means to be a woman, particularly when traditional values and the social and cultural consequences of immigration trickle down through generations. Matia is an engrossing novel that looks at intergenerational trauma, secrets, guilt, tradition and superstition, for fans of The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili.”
—DANIELLE BAGNATO, Books + Publishing
“The novel moves back and forth in time, unravelling defining moments in the lives of its four engaging protagonists, connecting them through a long chain of memories, secrets, dreams, and even prophecies, keeping the reader in suspense until the very end...Over four generations and three continents, from Greece to Perth to New York and back again, Emily Tsokos Purtill writes a rich and moving tale...Through the eyes of four resilient women in MATIA, Emily Tsokos Purtill captures the complexities of migration, identity, and the strong hold to heritage. As each generation navigates the challenges of a new world, they carry with them the timeless wisdom of their ancestors, through traditions, memories, and the stories they pass on.”
—IRIS PAPATHANASIOU, Neos Kosmos
Christopher Gogos
“While the novel’s timeline is ambitious, the reader always feels as if the author is completely in control as she leads them back and forth through the lives of the four characters. Each woman has a voice distinctly their own, and despite their differences, they are all eminently relatable. Tsokos Purtill is skilled at showing their similarities whilst also showing how they are each a product of their own time and place...Tsokos Purtill writes moments of tension between the generations extremely well, with dialogue that is pitch perfect...This is a beautiful, heartfelt book about family, love and tradition, and the different ways to be a strong woman. With echoes of Melina Marchetta, this is sure to mark the launch of another promising career for Emily Tsokos Purtill.”
—★★★★★ EMILY PAULL, The AU Review
Emily Paull
“An engaging narrative of generational guilt, hurt, love and ultimately, hope. This is an elegantly, seductively written literary novel that will appeal to all women, to all who have made the journey to new countries seeking a better life (we are mostly a nation of migrants) and should be read by all men, yes this is a feminist narrative...The feminist framework that supports the narrative is one many are familiar with and the author makes many profound statements (book clubs take note – this is a perfect book for your next group read)...This book has a lot to offer the reader, I wonder what you will glean from this reading experience? 5 Stars from me.”
—★★★★★ CAROL SEELEY, Reading, Writing and Riesling
readingwritingandriesling
“...There is a richness running through this book that has to do with the importance of family and culture, and the power of tradition and rituals to bring women together for support and pleasure. The disconnection from this brought about by migration and the changes to the lives of women that education, careers and increasing independence bring is also very much part of Matia. The characters are beautifully realized, each with their own particular personality...”
—ANN SKEA, Newtown Review of Books
“Matia is a beautifully written, intergenerational story that follows four Greek Australian women and explores what it means to be female in a culture that values tradition. Tsokos Purtill seamlessly weaves between history to illustrate how these traditions have trickled down and been adapted to suit each woman’s life as they navigate new environments, social norms and relationships...Despite the challenge of writing from multiple perspectives, Tsokos Purtill brings each woman to life with their own personalities and flaws in a way that makes their stories all the more enjoyable...The story explores the Greek Australian heritage in very compelling ways...”
—NAOMI NEILSON, Lawyers Weekly
“Tsokos Purtill writes patiently and carefully throughout, giving the novel an assured tone. As debuts go, it’s pretty much everything an intelligent reader would want. It’s ambitious and deeply indebted to honouring and acknowledging the individuals in the story and this greater Greek community, replete with all its beliefs and traditions. However, pretending that this is its most significant accomplishment is underselling the challenge of weaving together different points of view, locations, and time scapes... by novel’s end, the effect is not so much reading a book as finding threads having spontaneously converged to form fabric. ...a richly-rewarding book and a consistently engaging layering of meaning, memory and family legacy.”
—LAURIE STEED, WritingWA
Author: Emily Tsokos Purtill
Reader reviews
