'Meticulously researched, and the result is Heiss's great achievement: the reader is transported in place and time.' - The Australian 'Tact and intelligence are sustained to the end of this bold novel of the wartime home front' -- Sydney Morning Herald A story about a love that transcends all boundaries, from one of Australia's best loved authors. 5 AUGUST, 1944 Over 1000 Japanese soldiers break out of the No.12 Prisoner of War compound on the fringes of Cowra. In the carnage, hundreds are killed, many are recaptured, and some take their own lives rather than suffer the humiliation of ongoing defeat. But one soldier, Hiroshi, manages to escape. At nearby Erambie Station, an Aboriginal mission, Banjo Williams, father of five and proud man of his community, discovers Hiroshi, distraught and on the run. Unlike most of the townsfolk who dislike and distrust the Japanese, the people of Erambie choose compassion and offer Hiroshi refuge. Mary, Banjo's daughter, is intrigued by the softly spoken stranger, and charged with his care. For the community, life at Erambie is one of restriction and exclusion - living under Acts of Protection and Assimilation, and always under the ruthless eye of the mission Manager. On top of wartime hardships, families live without basic rights. Love blossoms between Mary and Hiroshi, and they each dream of a future together. But how long can Hiroshi be hidden safely and their bond kept a secret?

Author Biography

Anita is a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, but was born in Gadigal country and has spent much of her life on Daharawal land near La Perouse. She is one of Australia's most prolific and well-known authors publishing across genres including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction and children's fiction. She is also a marathoner! Anita's children's literature includes Kicking Goals with Goodesy and Magic, co-written with Adam Goodes and Micheal O'Loughlin. She also wrote two kids' novels with students from La Perouse Public School - Yirra and Her Deadly Dog Demon and Demon Guards the School Yard. Anita's other published works include the historical novel Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937, non-fiction text Dhuuluu-Yala (To Talk Straight) - Publishing Aboriginal Literature, and The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature which she co-authored with Peter Minter. Her adult fiction includes Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right, Manhattan Dreaming, Paris Dreaming and Tiddas. Her most recent books include Harry's Secret, Matty's Comeback, and Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms which was shortlisted for the QLD Literary Awards and longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Prize. In 2004 Anita was listed in The Bulletin magazine's 'Smart 100'. Her memoir Am I Black Enough for You? was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and she was a finalist in the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards (Local Hero). As an advocate for Indigenous literacy, Anita has worked in remote communities as a role model and encouraging young Indigenous Australians to write their own stories. On an international level she has performed her own work and lectured on Aboriginal literature across the globe at universities and conferences, consulates and embassies in the USA, Canada, the UK, Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Spain, Japan, Austria, Germany and New Zealand. Anita is a Lifetime Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and a proud Ambassador of Worawa Aboriginal College, the GO Foundation and the Sydney Swans. She is on the Board of the State Library of Queensland and lives in Brisbane.