Joy Moody is Out of Time

By Kerryn Mayne
​** Publication Date 19 August 2025 **
4 stars




Time travel is one of the things that most of us would love to try. For Joy Moody, she knows that her twins will be leaving her someday to travel to the future and save the world. She has raised her girls to know they’ll be going on their 20th birthdays. Only her girls don’t share the belief.


Cassiopeia and Andromeda were born nearly 21 years ago. Raised by their mum Joy, they’ve always known they have a bigger purpose in life. To return to the year 2050 and save the world. Only as they get closer to the time of their impending travel, their mother seems to become more unstable. Cassie, the more compliant twin, is prepared, but nervous. Andie is the twin most likely to rebel, and she’s starting to.


They live in a suburb of Melbourne, just a short way from the beach. Their little house is behind their mum’s shop, Joyful Suds, a laundromat. The girls have always worked in the laundromat - folding clothes, cleaning, taking orders. Joy is a rather strict disciplinarian. The twins are not allowed to wander far from home, they’ve never gone to a traditional school, and they have no television, mobile phones, or computers. Other than traveling to the future, these two are not prepared for life. 


So when they find Joy dead one morning, their lives are turned upside down, and they are forced to learn how to be independent. 


Great story. So fascinating how isolated the two girls were growing up and how immature they truly were for being 21. The series of events that lead to Joy’s passing are told in current time and the past. How Joy comes to take care of the twins, the conviction she has of going to the future, the twins reluctance to go. It’s all so fascinating the way that Mayne has put this tale together. Interesting premise and execution. 


Definitely recommend.