Description

Shortlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award
Silence is complicity, but what does it take to speak up?

Hannah is a journalist running on empty. Balancing the chaos of new motherhood, her job and her faith, she increasingly feels the judgement of a newsroom that doesn’t value her voice. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall.

As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensifies, a teenage student is arrested for protesting a university’s ties to an Israeli arms manufacturer. Both Hannah and Ashraf are pulled into the unfolding drama – but in very different ways. While Hannah fights to tell the true story, risking her place in the newsroom, Ashraf chooses caution, prioritising his reputation as the stakes rise around him.

As their paths begin to converge, both must confront what they are willing to stand for – and what their silence might cost them.

* Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award

* Shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award and the ALS Gold Award

Publisher Review

‘Razor sharp, uncompromising and bitingly funny – a brilliant combination.’ Omar Robert Hamilton ‘Blistering and brilliant.’ Melissa Lucashenko, author of Edenglassie ‘A tale with profound new resonance… With visceral detail, Randa Abdel-Fattah captures the pangs of survivor guilt and rage felt by first-generation Australians witnessing the destruction of their homelands while living in ‘the empire’, and the cost of speaking out against the status quo.’ Guardian ‘As Ramadan unfolds under the shadow of the Gaza genocide, Discipline asks what is the cost of speaking truth to power, and worse, what is the cost of remaining silent. In this blistering, urgent novel, Randa Abdel-Fattah captures the impossible choices faced by those who dare to raise their voices in a world that demands silence. Unflinching in its moral clarity, this book is necessary reading.’ Susan Abulhawa, author of Mornings in Jenin ‘Randa Abdel-Fattah is a remarkable writer. With humility and care she asks that we do not turn away from the people of Gaza. Discipline is a novel that reminds us that each story is a shared story, demanding our attention. Discipline is an invitation to be in this world together. To do otherwise is to live a life of denial. I am indebted to Randa’s generosity.’ Tony Birch ‘Whilst it may sometimes feel as though its characters are fighting a losing battle, the very existence of this book provides hope: all steps towards freedom and justice always begin with reading. For those who seek to sincerely understand the endless obstacles one must face in the body of an Arab, a Palestinian, a Muslim; Discipline is the place to begin.’ Michael Mohammed Ahmad ‘An unflinching dive into the fractures of our social fabric. From Sydney to Gaza to Aden, from protest lines to disastrous TV interviews, from political statements to police action, ideological and generational gaps are tested, loyalties eroded and students and religious gatherings are exploited by politicians for their own gain. With razor-sharp insight, this brilliant and captivating novel is a fierce cry for action – a demand to fight for justice in order to safeguard the humanity of generations to come.’ Samah Sabawi ‘Randa Abdel-Fattah’s brilliant novel autopsies silence: What do we risk when we speak out, and what parts of ourselves do we suffocate when we don’t? This is an unforgettable, uncompromising novel by a writer of immense courage, a writer to whom I and so many others in our field owe a debt of gratitude.’ Omar El Akkad, author of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This ‘Discipline deftly tackles the costs of truth-telling: on painstakingly built careers, on concerns about the future, on communities and relationships, and on our own personal values (and the ability to live with ourselves). But it is also a novel that holds us all to account: what we will accept, what we will stand for, and ultimately, what we deserve. Are we able to look in the mirror, and see things for what they are? And what will it take for us to do something about it?’ The Age ‘This book is so important.’ Jack Edwards ‘Grand and intimate’ Miles Franklin Literary Award