A gem of a debut novel by award-winning playwright George Kemp, about small-town lives and the search for genuine sustenance in a fast-food world. Stuck in a regional McDonald's, as bushfires close in, three twenty-somethings and their dead friend's mum all face a reckoning. Fern longs for Ethan, Ethan longs for Jacob, and Jacob struggles to long for anything. Meanwhile, Pat just wants her grief to ease up. Soft Serve proves that small-town lives are huge, and that anyone can get stuck in limbo between their past and their hoped-for future. From celebrated playwright and actor George Kemp comes this charming and poignant novel- it's drive-thru Chekhov ... full of wit and heart.

Details

ISBN13: 9780702269134
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 208
Edition:
Publication Date: 03 Feb 2026
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Publication City, Country: St Lucia, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 9.1(H)x12.7(L)x1.6(W)183
Weight (gm): 183

Author Biography

George Kemp is a writer for stage, page and screen, based on Gadigal land. He was selected to be part of the Faber Academy in 2023-24, during which he completed the first draft of Soft Serve. His award-winning play Shack has been performed frequently around the country and internationally, and is included on the new NSW Drama Curriculum. George has had a successful career as an actor across Australia and England, in productions such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Cyrano de Bergerac (Sydney Theatre Company) and national and international tours of The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong. He is also a passionate educator and mentor of actors and writers and is currently Producer, New Writing & Artist Development at Australian Theatre for Young People.

Reviews

'Full of spark and love, Soft Serve is fiercely tender and moving.' Favel Parrett

'A scorching novel about small-town grief, queer yearning and the rituals that keep us connected. George Kemp's debut is full of complicated humanity, dark laughs and endless compassion - and makes him one to watch.' Benjamin Law

'Soft Serve is an irresistible debut; it will thaw the hardest heart. George Kemp delivers a tale of first love, loss and the inexorable pain of growing up.' Eleanor Limprecht

'This exquisite book grabbed my heart and held it long after it ended. Every character is drawn with the greatest affection, exploring the beauty and fragility of loss and love.' Heather Mitchell

'A new and glorious voice has arrived on the Australian literary scene - compelling, lyrical, evocative and utterly original.' Hugh Mackay