In 1920s Queensland, Lizzie O'Dea wants to get away from her dad and the memories of her mum that haunt her. At the races she meets attractive, war-scarred Joe and sees her chance to escape. But life with Joe isn't what she dreamt it would be. Finding herself on the fringes of society, Lizzie discovers a new sense of independence and sexuality, love and friendship. It's a precarious life, though, always on the edge of collapse. Two decades later, Lizzie is sick and worn out. Lying in a Brisbane lock hospital, she thinks about Joe, who's been lost to her for many years. But she's a survivor. There's hope yet. Set between Brisbane and Townsville, and based on real events that the author uncovered from historical archives, Treading Air is the remarkably vivid tale of a young Australian working-class rebel who clashed with the expectations of her world.

Ariella has a PhD in Creative Writing from the Queensland University of Technology. She was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards 2012 in the unpublished manuscript category, based on her PhD manuscript. Her short fiction has been widely published in Australia, and she won the Townsville City Council Short Story Award in 2013. She lectures in creative writing at James Cook University and enjoys travelling.

In 1920s Brisbane, Lizzie O'Dea wants to get away from her dad and the memories of her mum that haunt her. At the races, she meets attractive, war-scarred Joe. When he says that he wants to marry her and take her away to far-flung Townsville, Lizzie sees her chance to escape.

But Lizzie soon falls through what she'd thought was a safety net. On the fringes of society, she discovers a new sense of independence and sexuality, love and friendship. It's a precarious life, though. Always on the edge of collapse, eventually it spins out of control.

Two decades later, Lizzie is sick and worn out. Lying in a Brisbane lock hospital, she thinks about Joe, who's been lost to her for twenty years. But she's a survivor. There's hope yet.

Treading Air is the remarkably vivid tale of a young Australian working-class rebel who clashed with the expectations of her world, and a powerful debut from award-winning Queensland author Ariella Van Luyn.