After Darkness (2014) is a novel by Australian author Christine Piper.[1] It won The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 2014 and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2015.
.jpg) First edition | |
| Author | Christine Piper |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin, Australia |
Publication date | 2014 |
| Publication place | Australia |
Published in English | 22 April 2014 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9781743319888 |
Plot summary
editThe novel follows the story, told in three intertwined narrative strands, of Tomakazu Ibaraki, a Japanese doctor living in Australia around the time of World War II. The first strand deals with Ibaraki's arrival in a detainment camp in South Australia in 1942 after the outbreak of war; the second with Ibaraki's arrival in Broome in 1938 to work in a hospital there; and the third concerns his marriage in Tokyo in 1934.
Reviews
edit- David Messer in Sydney Morning Herald noted the novel "addresses timeless themes such as friendship, personal conscience and others less welcome – racism, nationalism and the way a commitment to bureaucracy can lead to the worst excesses and injustices."[2]
- Linda Funnell in The Newtown Review of Books stated: "This is a thoughtful and beautifully put together novel; it is not easy in parts, but its trajectory is ultimately one of hope, and in its humanity glows like the lanterns launched onto Broome's Roebuck Bay".[3]
- Joanne Peulen of Booklover Book Reviews stated: "There is an understated and refined, almost ageless quality, to Piper’s prose. Any musician understands it is the quieter passages of a concerto that draw in the listener and heighten their emotional engagement with a piece. Piper has translated this knowledge to the pages of After Darkness.[4]
Awards and nominations
edit- 2014 winner The Australian/Vogel Literary Award[5]
- 2015 shortlisted Indie Awards — Debut Fiction[6]
- 2015 shortlisted Miles Franklin Literary Award[7]
- 2015 shortlisted Nita Kibble Literary Award — Dobbie Award
References
edit- ^ "Austlit — After Darkness by Christine Piper". Austlit. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Christine Piper's Vogel winner, After Darkness", Sydney Morning Herald, 30 May 2014
- ^ ""Christine Piper After Darkness" by Linda Funnell, The Newtown Review of Books, 26 June 2014". Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "Book Review - After Darkness by Christine Piper" by Joanne Peulen, Booklover Book Reviews, 18 June 2014
- ^ "Piper wins Vogel for 'After Darkness'". Books+Publishing. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ ""Indie Book Awards 2015 shortlists announced"". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "The Miles Franklin Literary Award 2015 Shortlist". The Trust Company. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.