When we first heard about Shankari Chandran’s new book, Safe Haven, it was pitched as ‘a love story set in an off-shore detention centre’. It intrigued us immediately. We snapped it up and devoured it in a weekend.

Safe Haven is part romance, part mystery, part procedural, part heist, with a healthy dose of found family to top it all off. With a description like that, you know that you’re in for a heart-wrenching ride.

Chandran is no stranger to tackling the big topics. As she did in her last novel – the Miles Franklin Award-winning Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens – her latest release examines the systems that sustain our fractured country, the impacts of the Sri Lankan Civil War and what it means to be Australian.

Chandran balances the light and dark perfectly, showcasing the ways in which humans at their worst can bring out the very best in others. In Safe Haven you’ll have plenty of heartwarming moments, with a gorgeous cast of loveable characters (making up for those that will make your skin crawl), an incredible protagonist in Fina who you never stop rooting for, and the consistent thread of courage and sacrifice in the name of doing what’s right.

There’s something about Chandran’s novels that leave you wanting to press them into the hands of everyone you know and we hope that you feel this as you read.