Blue Skies is Helen Hodgmans debut novel, written in 1976. This edition includes an insightful introduction by Danielle Wood. The setting is 1970s Tasmanian suburbia. The story is narrated by a young wife and mother who finds herself unable to muster any enthusiasm for the life she and her neighbours are leading. She avoids the daily gathering of mothers and children at the beach by hiding in her home. Her only respite from the despair in her life and the oppression she feels from the relentless blue skies are the days when she leaves her daughter with her mother-in-law and conducts her affairs with Jonathan the restaurateur (Tuesdays) and Ben the artist, her oldest friends husband (Thursdays). As events unfold, her perception of the world around her seems increasingly surreal. More and more, she comes across as either vague or selfish. Suspicions the reader has formed about her may be firmed in the final pages.

Hodgman has crafted an extraordinary novel. With an economy of words, her descriptions are vivid and powerful; the atmosphere of 70s suburbia is brilliantly conveyed; the mood of the narrator is clearly felt. It is easy to see why this Australian classic novel met with high acclaim when it was first published.