The Old Balmain House

Sophie vanished. Where did she go?. For 100 years nobody knows.


A photo of an 8 year old girl, Sophie, and a perfume bottle are found in the fireplace of our old house. Who is this child and what happened to her? 


We discover she disappeared after school one day with her best friend and was never seen again.


This book tracks the journey of discovery of Sophie and her family from first arrival in Sydney, over five generations until the mystery is finally laid to rest. 


Set around beautiful Sydney harbour, this is a story of a place and its people, an imagined history of an immigrant family from the time of the early colony up to the present day.


It is a story of loss and grief, mixed with joy, which passes through successive generations. The way the family deals with this unresolved tragedy and finally the way it transcends time is the story from which the real Sophie emerges


Graham Wilson, the author, lived in the house in Balmain around which this story is set, for seven years. This is his first novel. Two further books make up this series, Lizzie’s Tale and Devil’s Choice.