Discipline by Randa Abdel-Fattah is not interested in offering readers the comfort of distance. Set in Western Sydney during Ramadan in May 2021, against the backdrop of escalating violence in Gaza and rising Islamophobic panic within Australia, the novel follows two Palestinian and Arab-Australian professionals attempting to navigate institutions that publicly celebrate diversity while privately disciplining it.

At the centre is Charlie, a prime-time radio producer in her early thirties whose life fractures after she leaves her husband. The separation doesn’t just end a marriage, it also dismantles her entire friendship network. The group she once belonged to closes ranks, and she finds herself on the outside, navigating awkward encounters, unread messages, and the peculiar loneliness of still technically knowing people who are no longer yours.