The Children

$19.68
This item is sold out

To view similar items click here.

Free Delivery on this purchase

The Children

Charlotte Wood

1st

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback

When their father is critically injured, foreign correspondent Mandy and her siblings return home, bringing with them the remnants and patterns of childhood. Mandy has lived away from the country for many years. Her head is filled with images of terror and war, and her homecoming to the quiet country town - not to mention her family and marriage - only heightens her disconnection from ordinary life. Cathy, her younger sister, has stayed in regular contact with her parents, trying also to keep tabs on her brother Stephen who, for reasons nobody understands, has held himself apart from the family for years. In the intensive care unit the children sit, trapped between their bewildered mother and one another; between old wounds and forgiveness, struggling to connect with their emotions, their past and each other. But as they wait and watch over their father, there's someone else watching too: a young wardsman, Tony, who's been waiting for Mandy to come home. As he insinuates himself into the family, the pressure, and the threat, intensify and build to a climax of devastating force.This acutely observed novel exposes the tenacious grip of childhood, the way siblings seem to grow apart but never do, and explores the price paid for bearing witness to the suffering of others - whether far away or uncomfortably close to home.

GST Note: GST is included in the price of this item. GST is included in the freight.

Customer Reviews

Delivery*

Delivery

Delivery time frames will depend on your location, please check the shipping calculator to see an estimate of when you can typically expect to receive your goods based on your postcode.