The God of No Good

Judges' comments

Traversing cultures and continents, The God of No Good is a lyrical debut by a gifted storyteller. With nuance and humour Sita Walker catalogues the breakdown of her marriage and loss of faith, while navigating the expectations and rich cultural inheritance of a family steeped in the Iranian Baha’i tradition, with avowed commitments to prayer, virtue, duty and community.

Intertwined with magical stories of strong matriarchs that came before her from Iran to India, Sri Lanka to the Czech Republic, Adelaide to the Torres Strait, this memoir is a rich portrait of six women connected across generations. Seamlessly spanning timelines, The God of No Good is a stunning ode to women and family as well as the power of embracing the richness of an immigrant heritage while finding the courage to chart a new path. Richly evocative and sensory, Walker has a novelist’s eye for detail, painting a vivid portrait of family relationships and what it means to be at home.