By: Anthony Eaton
Vinnie Santiani’s sister is killed, his home life has changed irrevocably and Vinnie, driven by fear and loneliness heads to the bush. He wants to be alone and believes the isolation can be found camping in the middle of nowhere. Where he ends up though has a history. The forest used to house a prisoner of war camp. Across the years Vinnie’s life comes into contact with Erich Pieters’ – a young German man who left his family to join Hilter’s Wehrmacht and fight in the war.
Vinnie may have been running away but sometimes fate has other things in store for you.
I realise this is a very short synopsis and I’ve left it so deliberately because I don’t want to give too much away. Both young men and both settings have been wonderfully created by Eaton, who weaves the two story lines together so very well. The environment is richly described and it is easy to find yourself swept away into the bushland location during both timelines. With a skilled hand Eaton has given us two young men so very torn by the circumstances they find themselves in. He develops them through their anger into something more, they do not merely gain an acceptance of life but a renewed spirit for it, through adversity they discover there can be healing and hope.
This book is a wonderful read. It drew me in and reached down into me, it is an evocative and stirring tale, very well worth the time it takes to read.
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Published: 05 April 2004
Format: Paperback 345 pages
Categories: YA Fiction, Courage, Adventure
ISBN 13: 9780702233814
Purchase: use link to Booktopia on the side of the page
TheKylieVerse 
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