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About
Winner of the 2026 MUD Literary Prize
Winner of the 2025 Readings Fiction Prize
It starts with a lie. One small lie to get everything he wants. But one lie leads to another, and another. Caught in his own web of deception, how can he recognise the truth? And what is it going to cost him?
The legendary career of reclusive cult author Brenda Shales remains one of Australia's last unsolved literary mysteries. Her books took the world by storm before she disappeared from the public eye after a mysterious plagiarism case. But when an ambitious young writer stumbles across Brenda at a Melbourne pool, he realises the scoop of a lifetime is floating in front of him: the truth behind why she vanished without a trace. The
only problem? He must pretend to be someone he's not to trick the story out of her.
One innocent lie leads to a slew that are definitively not, as Brenda reveals the strange and troubling truth of where her books came from. Yet the more the author unravels about Brenda's past, the more he begins to question whether Brenda is a reliable narrator. Is she spilling secrets or spinning tales? Is she, like him, little more than a talented thief? To write the book that will make his name, he must balance his ethics and ambition and decide what he's willing to sacrifice to become the next great Australian writer.
This astonishing debut, full of delicious twists and wicked insights, is a dazzling novel of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the costs of creative ambition.
'A brilliant concept, brilliantly executed.' Bri Lee
'That rare thing, a great contemporary novel.' Lauren Oyler
'It's rare for a writer to be this good both at crafting a sentence and at making you want to read the next one.' Naoise Dolan
'I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. I loved it!' Rita Bullwinkel
'A dazzling debut … I Want Everything is a playful, delicious tale of deception that speaks to the human cost of fulfilling naked ambition.' The Guardian
'The hype around I Want Everything is richly deserved. This is not just a hot debut novel, but a modern Australian classic …' The Australian
'A sharp-tongued literary caper, all pith and vinegar … Amerena dares us to giggle while he rubs salt into the Ozlit wounds' The Monthly
'A twisty, faced-paced narrative and deftly playful language …' ArtsHub
'A tantalising debut … Delectably deceptive and metafictive' Books + Publishing
'I Want Everything is that most exquisite rarity: a brilliant concept, brilliantly executed. Amerena has so precisely rendered and skewered Australian literary culture that I was shrieking with delight while I squirmed in recognition. The tease of a mystery plot had me turning the pages non-stop, but there were real gem-like sentences in here too. And on top of that, he can write women. And on top of that, he can write writing! This book is a rollicking laugh through the ego until the bill of the id comes due. I adored it. I wish I could go back and savour it again for the first time. I'll read anything and everything Amerena does next.' 'A twisty-turny, deliciously sneaky and bitingly insightful literary mystery. I laughed, cringed, squirmed, clapped and cheered.' 'I Want Everything is a Russian Doll of a novel set largely in an Australian city. It is a layered mystery. It is an enigma wrapped inside an enigma possibly wrapped inside an enigma. It is a book about the complexities of storytelling and idiocracies of writers. I Want Everything is also a debut novel by Dominic Amerena, a writer of such talent we can only hope he doesn't vanish on us.' 'I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. It's salacious and funny and fun, and has a stay-up-all-night, can't-look-away energy that I adore. I loved it!' 'How I loved this novel about books, writing, and the literary life – in all its corru
Winner of the 2025 Readings Fiction Prize
It starts with a lie. One small lie to get everything he wants. But one lie leads to another, and another. Caught in his own web of deception, how can he recognise the truth? And what is it going to cost him?
The legendary career of reclusive cult author Brenda Shales remains one of Australia's last unsolved literary mysteries. Her books took the world by storm before she disappeared from the public eye after a mysterious plagiarism case. But when an ambitious young writer stumbles across Brenda at a Melbourne pool, he realises the scoop of a lifetime is floating in front of him: the truth behind why she vanished without a trace. The
only problem? He must pretend to be someone he's not to trick the story out of her.
One innocent lie leads to a slew that are definitively not, as Brenda reveals the strange and troubling truth of where her books came from. Yet the more the author unravels about Brenda's past, the more he begins to question whether Brenda is a reliable narrator. Is she spilling secrets or spinning tales? Is she, like him, little more than a talented thief? To write the book that will make his name, he must balance his ethics and ambition and decide what he's willing to sacrifice to become the next great Australian writer.
This astonishing debut, full of delicious twists and wicked insights, is a dazzling novel of desire and deception, authorship and authenticity, and the costs of creative ambition.
'A brilliant concept, brilliantly executed.' Bri Lee
'That rare thing, a great contemporary novel.' Lauren Oyler
'It's rare for a writer to be this good both at crafting a sentence and at making you want to read the next one.' Naoise Dolan
'I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. I loved it!' Rita Bullwinkel
'A dazzling debut … I Want Everything is a playful, delicious tale of deception that speaks to the human cost of fulfilling naked ambition.' The Guardian
'The hype around I Want Everything is richly deserved. This is not just a hot debut novel, but a modern Australian classic …' The Australian
'A sharp-tongued literary caper, all pith and vinegar … Amerena dares us to giggle while he rubs salt into the Ozlit wounds' The Monthly
'A twisty, faced-paced narrative and deftly playful language …' ArtsHub
'A tantalising debut … Delectably deceptive and metafictive' Books + Publishing
'I Want Everything is that most exquisite rarity: a brilliant concept, brilliantly executed. Amerena has so precisely rendered and skewered Australian literary culture that I was shrieking with delight while I squirmed in recognition. The tease of a mystery plot had me turning the pages non-stop, but there were real gem-like sentences in here too. And on top of that, he can write women. And on top of that, he can write writing! This book is a rollicking laugh through the ego until the bill of the id comes due. I adored it. I wish I could go back and savour it again for the first time. I'll read anything and everything Amerena does next.' 'A twisty-turny, deliciously sneaky and bitingly insightful literary mystery. I laughed, cringed, squirmed, clapped and cheered.' 'I Want Everything is a Russian Doll of a novel set largely in an Australian city. It is a layered mystery. It is an enigma wrapped inside an enigma possibly wrapped inside an enigma. It is a book about the complexities of storytelling and idiocracies of writers. I Want Everything is also a debut novel by Dominic Amerena, a writer of such talent we can only hope he doesn't vanish on us.' 'I Want Everything is a book about literature that feels like a bank heist. It's salacious and funny and fun, and has a stay-up-all-night, can't-look-away energy that I adore. I loved it!' 'How I loved this novel about books, writing, and the literary life – in all its corru