Toni JordanS Tenderfoot Earns Early Classic Status in Moving Coming-of-Age Story
Melbourne author Toni Jordan’s Tenderfoot is being hailed as a potential Australian literary classic, lauded for its nuanced portrayal of family, loss, and the complexities of human nature. the novel, set against the backdrop of the greyhound racing world, offers a poignant coming-of-age story that resonates with worldwide themes of identity and belonging. Published in August 2025, the work is already generating significant critical acclaim for its precise prose and insightful observations.
Tenderfoot centers on Andie, a young woman navigating social class and community in Australia, finding herself drawn to the seemingly egalitarian world of the racetrack. While her father believes the track is “a great leveller: ‘Rich or poor, teenager or pensioner, new australian or old, at the dogs, everyone is equal,'” Jordan deftly explores the fragility of that equality and the inherent paradox of gambling – the allure of freedom tethered to the certainty of loss. The novel’s strength lies in its unflinching examination of human duality, mirroring the nature of greyhounds themselves: “the gentlest of animals unless you are a small furry creature.”
Jordan’s novel delves into the lives of those “trapped in a prison of their own making,” as Andie observes at her first job at the TAB, highlighting the human cost behind the promises of the track. Tenderfoot doesn’t shy away from portraying the capacity for both cruelty and tenderness within individuals, making Andie’s journey both “ordinary and…devastatingly recognisable.”
The book’s blend of immediacy and retrospective reflection, combined with its compelling narrative, positions Tenderfoot as a significant contribution to Australian literature, prompting readers to consider the enduring impact of the past on shaping who we are and who we may become.
