In an increasingly divided and intolerant world, What the Light Reveals isa beacon: a novel that brilliantly captures the sometimes devastatingconsequences of individual belief. 

Conrad is falsely accused of passingmilitary secrets to the Russians. His life and that of his family is turnedupside down by discrimination and fear. Unemployed, misrepresented by themedia, betrayed by relatives, and threatened by strangers, Conrad sees no choicebut to uproot his family from their homeland to start a new life in Moscow.

It is also the story of Ruby, and of her and Conrad's adoptedson Alex, and biological son Peter, and of the tension and intrigue thatconfronts them and shapes their lives in two countries. Russia lives andbreathes in McCoy's superb evocation of it, but Australia is never far away. AsPeter says, 'Tell me again why we're still here?' Told with suspense and richin characterisation and surprising plot twists, this is a novel ofboth heart and intellect, a book about the need to belong, about what a familyis, and why we all need one.

Reading Group Notes are available here

'A story about an Australian family facing the ruin of both bonds and belief. Atmospheric, intensely original and utterly unforgettable.'  - M. J. Hyland, author of Carry Me Down and This is How

'McCoy has given us that special thing: a powerful, singular vision of the complexities faced by individuals existing alongside each other as a family. This novel is beyond good storytelling: it is taut, evocative, and sensationally unique.' - Sarah Schmidt, author of See What I Have Done

'An Australian family living in Moscowduring the Cold War. A novel about secrets and lies, guilt, loyalty andbetrayal, and the urge for survival. Haunting, compelling and memorable, MickMcCoy's novel has all of the moral complexity and the psychological intensityof an Ian McEwan novel.' - Antoni Jach, author of The Layers of theCity and Napoleon's Double