Alan Fyfe's New Novel 'The Cross Thieves' Explores Youth Homelessness in Peel Region

Award-winning author Alan Fyfe has officially released his second novel, The Cross Thieves, which powerfully captures the experiences of being both young and homeless. This book forms part of a compelling trilogy centred around Western Australia's Peel Region, drawing inspiration from Fyfe's personal memories and deep connection to the area.

Inspiration from Barragup Shacks

Fyfe revealed that the inspiration for his trilogy came from vivid images of the old shacks he frequented in Barragup during his twenties. "The kind of crumbling places young people would squat in or rent at a low rate," he explained. "The whole trilogy comes from wanting to talk about exactly those kinds of people around the economic fringes of the Peel Region, people doing it tough and struggling with the basics, like a place to live."

Deep Roots in Mandurah and Pinjarra

Having spent most of his life around Mandurah and Pinjarra, Fyfe naturally gravitates toward this setting when crafting his stories. "It's a beautiful place really, despite the dark things I write about," he said. "It will always be my hometown and it shows up in my dreams, my subconscious; when I think of a story it usually bubbles up with a Mandurah backdrop."

Previous Success with First Book

The first installment of the series, T (2022), achieved significant recognition, being shortlisted for multiple prestigious awards:

The 2023 WA Premier's Prize for an Emerging Writer
The 2018 TAG Hungerford Manuscript Award as an unpublished work
The International Chaffinch Press Manuscript Award in Ireland

Evolving Trilogy Structure

Fyfe initially envisioned T as the beginning of a trilogy, but the narrative has evolved in unexpected ways. "The stories go chronologically backwards, so I'm working back to a starting point and I've developed my ideas a lot since the first novel," he noted. "Series is probably a better word than trilogy, it will be three stories you could read on their own without reading the other books, but connected through some recurring characters and a particular 1990 Mitsubishi Verada that keeps popping up. Maybe the whole thing is about the Mitsubishi."

Availability and Future Projects

Published by Melbourne-based Transit Lounge, The Cross Thieves is now available through various channels:

Major book retailers like Dymocks and QBD
Independent bookstores nationwide
Online platforms
Many local libraries across Australia

The series finale, scheduled for release next year, will be a supernatural thriller titled The Nine Angles, set among Mandurah's rough sleeping population. In preparation, Fyfe is also working on additional projects, including a short story collection and a poetry collection. "I like to keep busy," he remarked with characteristic understatement.