In a riveting exploration of the power the past wields over the present, critically acclaimed author Antoinette van Heugten writes the story of a woman whose child's life hangs in the balance, forcing her to confront the roots of her family's troubled history in the dark days of World War II It's the stuff of nightmares: Nora de Jong returns home from work one ordinary day to find her mother has been murdered. Her infant daughter is missing. And the only clue is the body of an unknown man on the living-room floor, clutching a Luger in his cold, dead hand. Frantic to find Rose, Nora puts aside her grief and frustration with the local police to start her own search. But the contents of a locked metal box she finds in her parents' attic leave her with as many questions as answersand suggest the killer was not a stranger. Saving her daughter means delving deeper into her family's darkest history, leading Nora half a world away to Amsterdam, where her own unsettled past and memories of painful heartbreak rush back to haunt her. As Nora feverishly pieces together the truth from an old family diary, she's drawn back to a city under Nazi occupation, where her mother's alliances may have long ago sealed her ownand Rose'sfate. Views: 16
Like his first saga, Masterton based this explosive novel on a real life character (Collis P. Huntington) using the transcontinental rail service as his theme. Collis Edmonds’ ambition is to blast a railroad through the heart of America - especially after seeing his family made bankrupt by investing in a similar but worthless scheme. Edmonds is portrayed as a gambler, drinker, chauvinist and arrogant womaniser; the plot is well crafted, paying meticulous attention to detail. An epic read. Views: 16
Issue Three of Volume Thirteen of the Review of Australian Fiction. This issue contains new short fiction by John Clanchy and Stephanie Buckle. Views: 16
'A fascinating, funny, disconcerting and lucid book.' Helen Dunmore'Fine sets out to demonstrate that the human brain is vainglorious and stubborn. She succeeds brilliantly.' Mail on Sunday'Fine is a cognitive neuroscientist with a sharp sense of humour and an intelligent sense of reality' The TimesPerhaps your brain seems to stumble when faced with the 13 times table, or persistently fails to master parallel parking. But you're in control of it, right? Sorry. Think again. Dotted with popular explanations of social psychology research and fascinating real-life examples, A Mind of Its Own tours the less salubrious side of human psychology. Psychologist Cordelia Fine shows that the human brain is in fact stubborn, emotional and deceitful, and teaches you everything you always wanted to know about the brain – and plenty you probably didn't. Views: 16
