After Darkness
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4.5 • 24 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2015. Winner of the 2014 Australian/Vogel's Literary Award.
‘Piper draws us deeper and deeper into the compelling story of Tomakazu Ibaraki, a man whose strengths — discretion, honour and loyalty — also lie at the heart of his personal tragedy.’ Danielle Wood, winner of the 2002 Australian/Vogel's Literary award for Alphabet of Light and Dark
After Darkness is about friendships that transcend cliched notions of mateship. It’s also about a man silenced by a promise... a haunting novel that lingers in a most unsettling way.’ Fiona Stager, Avid Reader
It is early 1942 and Australia is in the midst of war. While working at a Japanese hospital in the pearling port of Broome, Dr Ibaraki is arrested as an enemy alien and sent to Loveday internment camp in a remote corner of South Australia. There, he learns to live among a group of men who are divided by culture and allegiance. As tensions at the isolated camp escalate, the doctor’s long-held beliefs are thrown into question and he is forced to confront his dark past: the promise he made in Japan and its devastating consequences.
‘A brave, profound meditation on identity, trauma, loss and courage that reminds us that there are two sides to every war and that history never ceases to be written. A novel that demands its place alongside Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Mark Dapin’s Spirit House’ Stephen Romei, The Australian
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This evocative novel imagines largely uncharted experiences from our recent history. It takes us to Tokyo in the ‘30s, where Dr. Tomakazu Ibaraki unwillingly works on grisly secret medical research; to pre-war Broome, a cultural melting pot on a tropical frontier and to a World War II internment camp for enemy nationals in South Australia. After Darkness is a fascinating, contemplative novel about trust, courage, resilience and redemption. Born in Asia and raised in Australia, Christine Piper spins stunning descriptions of landscapes and seasons.
Customer Reviews
Memories
After living and working in Broome for 44 years 20 of those years in the pearling industry this book floods back memories of those early diving days with hard hat divers.and the life with the Japanese I have often wondered of the earlier times this is a wonderful read and very worthy of the award highly recommended read thank you
Clouded history
Unfortunately our "history books" only tell us of leaders in wars and the general effects of their decisions, which are made in the name of the generic "people" loosely represented by them. It was refreshing to read a war story about the human being rather than the person of a country.
The book portrayed an acceptance, that tragedy is always near and is unavoidable. That its part of what we know as life and that's fine, Or at least acceptable...