Ayesha Inoon is a Sri Lankan-Australian writer whose work is shaped by her rich cultural heritage and lived experience. Born in Colombo, she travelled widely and worked as a journalist in Sri Lanka before migrating to Australia in 2013. Her writing explores themes of identity, belonging, and the resilience of women across cultures.
Her debut novel, Untethered – winner of the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize and Highly Commended in both the 2024 ACT Book of the Year and the ACT Literary Awards for Fiction – draws partly from her own journey as an immigrant Muslim woman. The novel was also supported by the inaugural Penguin Random House Write It Fellowship in 2019.
Ayesha’s highly anticipated second novel is due in 2026. Set in 1990, it tells the story of three Sri Lankan sisters separated by tragedy while seeking asylum by boat to Australia—illegally adopted and raised apart, their lives intertwine decades later in a powerful story of loss, longing, and the enduring bonds of family.
She lives in Canberra, on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country with her two children and shares writing updates on Instagram and Facebook at @ayeshainoon.
Ayesha Inoon is a Sri Lankan-Australian writer whose work is shaped by her rich cultural heritage and lived experience. Born in Colombo, she travelled widely and worked as a journalist in Sri Lanka before migrating to Australia in 2013. Her writing explores themes of identity, belonging, and the resilience of women across cultures.
Her debut novel, Untethered – winner of the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize and Highly Commended in both the 2024 ACT Book of the Year and the ACT Literary Awards for Fiction – draws partly from her own journey as an immigrant Muslim woman. The novel was also supported by the inaugural Penguin Random House Write It Fellowship in 2019.
Ayesha’s highly anticipated second novel is due in 2026. Set in 1990, it tells the story of three Sri Lankan sisters separated by tragedy while seeking asylum by boat to Australia—illegally adopted and raised apart, their lives intertwine decades later in a powerful story of loss, longing, and the enduring bonds of family.
She lives in Canberra, on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country with her two children and shares writing updates on Instagram and Facebook at @ayeshainoon.
Ayesha Inoon is a Sri Lankan-Australian writer whose work is shaped by her rich cultural heritage and lived experience. Her writing explores themes of identity, belonging, and the resilience of women across cultures.
