Empire Day

Description

Bondi Junction in the late 1940s is a microcosm of changing Australia, and life is changing too fast for locals like salt-of-the-earth Pop Wilson, prickly Miss McNulty and feisty single mum Kath, all of whom resent the European `reffos’ who have moved in. The newcomers are struggling to rebuild their lives while the unhealed wounds of the past threaten to overwhelm them. As the lives of the neighbours interweave, unexpected new relationships cause tragedy for some, but forgiveness and salvation for others. Ultimately the residents of Wattle Street discover that behind closed doors, Old as well as New Australians have secret heartaches which poison their lives. Can we ever forget the past, or does it continue to fester inside us? Can understanding be forged from prejudice and fear? Part love story, part mystery and part crime investigation, EMPIRE DAY confirms Diane Armstrong as one of our most gifted and compelling storytellers.

Author description

Diane Armstrong was born in Poland and arrived in Australia in 1948. At the age of seven she decided to become a writer. She has enjoyed a hugely successful career as a freelance journalist. ENPIRE DAY is her fifth book. All her books have been bestsellers which have been short-listed for major literary awards, and her last novel NOCTURNE won the Society of Women Writers’ Biennial Fiction Award. Her books have been internationally acclaimed, and have been published in Europe, Israel, and the United States.