'The understatement of its writing and its tenderness and unsentimentally give Smoke in the Room a compelling and convincing energy that holds the reader absorbed, then gently lets her go.' AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW Summer, Sydney, and holed up in a tiny flat off Broadway are idealistic American Adam, weary activist Graeme, and wild, misunderstood Katie. Each is searching for answers to life's biggest questions - why are we here? what is love? what constitutes betrayal? - and thrust together, over an intense two-week period, they begin to form answers. In doing so, they must first confront their darkest demons, both within and without? Provocative, honest, brimming with sexual tension and crackling with intelligence, Emily Maguire's sensational novel cements her place as one of Australia's hottest talents. 'At the heart of ... Emily Maguire's work lies an urgent need to pull away at the interconnecting threads of morality, society and human relationships.' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD