In this award-winning work of fiction, Ellen van Neerven takes her readers on a journey that is mythical, mystical, and still achingly real. Over three parts, she takes traditional storytelling and gives it a unique, contemporary twist. In "Heat," we meet several generations of the Kresinger family and the legacy left by the mysterious Pearl. In "Water," a futuristic world is imagined and the fate of a people threatened. In "Light," familial ties are challenged and characters are caught between a desire for freedom and a sense of belonging. "Heat and Light" presents an intriguing collection while heralding the arrival of an exciting new talent in Australian writing.