The Spare Room

Helen is getting her spare room ready in Melbourne. She turns the bed to a north-south axis, puts on a pale pink fitted sheet and thinks about what will flatter her friend's colouring, which has already turned yellowish. Nicola is flying down from Sydney for three weeks.

This is not a social visit. Nicola has advanced cancer, and she has come to Melbourne for a treatment she believes will cure her. From the moment she steps off the plane, Helen takes on the role of nurse, protector and guardian, and also of harsh judge.

The two women see the illness very differently. Helen is sceptical about the treatment. Nicola is stubbornly serene and sure of her choice. Over the course of the stay they must find a way through the gruelling sessions and through each other's temper and certainty.

This is a work of fiction, narrated in the first person by Helen, and it stays close to the confined world of one house and one demanding treatment. It moves between care and anger, and it leans on dialogue and the daily detail of looking after a dying friend. Expect an intimate, emotionally hard read that builds toward a painful ending.