Steeplechase is the third book by Australian author, Krissy Kneen, and her first non-erotic novel. At age 40, art teacher Bec Reich seems to be living somewhat in the shadow of her (in)famous older sister, Emily Reich, who is described as one of the brave new voices on the Australian Art Scene. When she receives a call from Emily after a hiatus of twenty-three years, she is undecided if she wants to take up her sisters offer to attend her latest show in Beijing. Kneen alternates between Becs present day life and her strange, repressed adolescence full of games and delusions, to craft a compelling tale with a brilliant climax. Kneens descriptions skilfully evoke small town Queensland and the Beijing summer, her characters are have depth and spirit and her dialogue is realistic. This thought-provoking tale touches on obsession, adulation, artistic genius, student-teacher affairs, guilt, inferiority, love and mental illness. Kneen treats the reader to some beautiful prose: a gift that shrugs off its festive wrapping only to disappoint and She laughs and steps up on the pedals and rings her bell as she launches herself out into the nightmare of oncoming bicycles. She is larger now, but still just as graceful. I follow at a halting pace, dodging, stopping, pulling over onto the footpath. It is easy enough to keep track of my sister. She is a gorgeous flash of blue shining against a drab background of shapeless cotton frocks and dirty T-shirts. She is other-worldly and exciting and for a moment I am overwhelmed with pride. This is a hypnotic, powerful, stirring tale: Kneen is a writer to look out for.