Burn it, she decided. Drive it behind the disused factory near the polluted creek at the industrial park, and set it alight.

Simone’s obsession with her former lover is dangerously out of control, so when the approach of her fortieth birthday brings on a compulsion to wreak havoc in his new life, a house-sitting opportunity at a remote beach provides a welcome escape.

She began to be seduced by the idea of a lovely, distant solitude. And actually she had good incentive to leave. With only the responsibility of somebody else’s perpetually cheerful dog, Simone values her isolation – but her elderly neighbours have other ideas and begin to pull her into their eccentric lives. Is it possible she’s got away with it, or will the things she’s done come back to haunt her?

Misconduct is a moving novel about the possibility of reinvention, the sweet and sour taste of revenge, and a woman’s search for friendship and love.

Accolades

Shortlisted for Commonwealth Writer's Prize: Best First Book, South East Asia and the Pacific region

Review

"Misconduct] has all the ingredients for a romp into chick lit territory, yet this debut novel does not dwell on Simone's revenge, but presents a sensitive portrait of a woman at the crossroads. ...What could have been predictably plot-driven morphs into a surprisingly gentle meditation on the nature of love, loss and change. Van der Zijpp writes with assurance and insight." Susan Jacobs HERALD ON SUNDAY