The novels of Australian writer Sonya Hartnett, although classified as young adult, transcend the genre by virtue of their psychological depth and sophistication. Called intense and often devastating, her works, which include the award-winning Sleeping Dogs, Wilful Blue, and The Devil Latch, explore human character and the differences in how individuals perceive the world around them.

"I was the second eldest of six very boisterous, outgoing children," Hartnett commented, "but was shy and fairly withdrawn myself. I think I started writing because, in a make-believe world, I was no longer so friendless--to the characters, at least, I was someone very important." Her own shyness would shape Hartnett's focus as a writer; as she explained to Margot Hillel in Reading Time, "I guess the major influence on me has been my own personality given that I am intrinsically shy, which has enabled me to look and listen a lot...