31-07-2025
Good grief: Dua Lipa turns spotlight on Helen Garner's book
Here's something you don't hear every day. English-Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa has thrown her star power behind one of Australia's most loved writers, Helen Garner. Talk about an unlikely duo.
Lipa is spotlighting Garner's This House of Grief in her popular book club this month. The 2014 non-fiction book follows the trial of Victorian man Robert Farquharson, who is serving 33 years for murdering his three sons on Father's Day in 2005.
When contacted by CBD, Garner told us she was a bit embarrassed by all the international attention – having fielded multiple media requests all day.
Luckily, Lipa had a few more words to say on social media.
'Her work is new to me and it's a thrilling discovery. She's one of the most fascinating writers I have come across in recent years,' the singer said about Garner.
'What she reveals along the way is not simply a courtroom drama but a sharp and forensic analysis of the human condition.'
Garner, who has also tackled true crime with her 2004 book, Joe Cinque's Consolation, was spotted in the courtroom for the trial of triple mushroom murderer Erin Patterson. Garner is partnering with Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein to write The Mushroom Tapes.
It turns out Lipa is somewhat of an aficionado when it comes to our local arts scene. Back in 2023, the Sydney Theatre Company's production about ex-PM Julia Gillard, Julia, was on the pop star's must-watch theatre list.
