SHORTLISTED – Premier’s Prize for Non-fiction, Tasmanian Literary Awards

‘Funny, devastating, miraculous, and delightful. This is an extraordinary life story, extraordinarily told.’ Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull

‘[Rose] takes us to the edge of a volcanic crater of grief, passion and spirituality. Dazzling and devastating.’ Tim Rogers, author of Detours

Born on the island of Tasmania, Heather Rose falls in love with nature, but a family tragedy at age twelve sets her on a course to explore life and all its mysteries.

Here is a wild barefoot girl keen for adventure, a seeker of truth initiated in ancient rituals, a fledgling writer who becomes one of Australia’s most acclaimed authors, a fierce mother whose body may falter at any moment.

Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a luminous, compelling and utterly surprising memoir by the bestselling author of Stella Prize-winner The Museum of Modern Love and Bruny. Heartbreaking and beautiful, this is a love story brimming with courage and joy against all odds, one that will bring wonder, light and comfort to all who read it.

Praise for Heather Rose:

‘With rare subtlety and humanity, this novel relocates the difficult path to wonder in us all.’ The Christina Stead Prize judges on The Museum of Modern Love

‘A glorious novel, meditative and special in a way that defies easy articulation.’ Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites on The Museum of Modern Love

‘An entertaining and thought-provoking romp with authentic dialogue with characters that are all complex and multidimensional…Rose writes with emotional intuition [and] has that eminently readable interiority that only a novel can bring.’ Louise Swinn, The Saturday Paper on Bruny

‘Audacious and beautiful.’ Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos on The Museum of Modern Love

‘Captivating … a gem of a novel.’ Library Journal, starred review on The Museum of Modern Love

‘Heather Rose takes no prisoners in this hugely entertaining satirical novel.’ Readings on Bruny

‘Part political thriller, part family saga, part love letter to Tasmania, this is [Rose’s] most ambitious novel to date.’ Australian Book Review on Bruny

‘Believable, relatable people, families, romance, grief and the terser political narrative all come together with magnificent brio.’ The Sydney Morning Herald on Bruny

‘Deeply involving … profound … emotionally rich and thought-provoking.’ Booklist, starred review on The Museum of Modern Love

‘From the first pages of The River Wife, the reader is struck by the beauty of the prose. There is a fluid brook-like quality to the writing. (A celebration of) the beauty of nature and the enduring power of story.’ The Age

Author Biography

Heather Rose is the Australian author of nine novels. Her most recent novel, Bruny, won the 2020 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year Award, Her seventh novel, The Museum of Modern Love, won the 2017 Stella Prize. It also won the 2017 Christina Stead Prize. It has been published internationally and translated into numerous languages. Both The Museum of Modern Love and The Butterfly Man were longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. The Butterfly Man won the Davitt Award in 2006, and in 2007 The River Wife won the international Varuna Eleanor Dark Fellowship. The memoir Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here was shortlisted for the nonfiction prize in the 2022 Indie Book Awards and the Tasmanian Premiers Prize in 2025. Heather lives in Tasmania.