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Sydney, 1942, and in a nation threatened by a Japanese invasion, with husbands absent and sleek GIs present, a spirit of recklessness takes hold. Frank Darragh, an impressionable young priest, finds the line between saving others’ souls and losing his own begins to blur as he becomes entangled with an attractive married woman, a ménage a trois, and a charismatic American sergeant.
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Reviews
The gripping work of an author at the height of his powers
In this expertly crafted portrait of a young man's coming of age, the claustrophobic conditions of his life are drawn with painful clarity. The writing is superb
An excellent novel . . . It is good on the Catholic Church, and on the ambiguous boundary between priest and confessor. It is also elegant, economical and extremely funny.
Superbly-crafted . . . he effortlessly interweaves many of life's bigger dilemmas: the conflicts between love and duty; innocence and experience; conscience and courage. This is a thought-provoking and engrossing novel.
An immensely subtle study of the bad fit between moral systems and real life
Yet again Keneally has produced a good book, a serious book and, because it is both, a stirring book.