Seems to have been re-released in 2015 as One Door Closes.

cover:
When you're young, driven and ambitious the bright lights of Sydney are irresistible... Marnie, Tina and Lee are in their twenties when they share a house in Bondi. Each is running away from something...

Marnie: wild, privileged and impetuous, is escaping from the stifling conservatism of Melbourne - and a father who will mark her relationships with men forever.

Tina: driven to leave Brisbane and her migrant background, promises herself she'll own a home on the harbour by the time she's thirty. But what if the price of success is too high?

Lee: dreams of showbiz fame to save her from a suffocating life in the suburbs of Newcastle. When her dream is cut short, her daughter is meant to live it for her.

A quarter of a century later, the three friends learn that dreams come with no guarantees, and the city is a much more dangerous place.

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I enjoyed most of this but felt that Lee was punished for showing a bit of independence with unnecessary harshness. Is Bacia saying this is what happens to a woman who wants a bit of life outside the family circle? In fact, all three of them were punished in a way for stepping outside tradition - and they all get rewarded when they step back! Not sure what Bacia's point is, but it's not encouraging - I wonder if she meant it this way? Strange. Maybe I didn't enjoy it so much after all.

Sent to the winner of the Australia Day 2015 Australian Literature Sweep.

Thanks, catsalive, for the bag of books for the Aus Lit Sweeps. It's very much appreciated!