'On a barren island off the coast of Western Australia, a rickety wooden dinghy runs aground. Aboard are nine people who have no idea where they are. Strangers before the violent storm that tore their vessel apart, the instinct to survive has seen them bond during their days adrift on a vast and merciless ocean.
'Fate has cast them ashore with only one thing in common . . . fear. Rassen the doctor, Massoud the student, the child Hamid and the others all fear for their lives. But in their midst is Jalila, who appears to fear nothing. The beautiful young Yazidi woman is a mystery to them all.
'While they remain undiscovered on the deserted island, they dare to dream of a new life . . .
'But forty kilometres away on the mainland lies the tiny fishing port of Shoalhaven. Here everyone knows everyone, and everyone has their place. In Shoalhaven things never change.
Until now . . .' (Synopsis)
Dedication: To the memory of Niall Lucy
Author's note: All the characters in Sanctuary are fictional, as is the small fishing port and township of Shoalhaven on the coast of Western Australia. the name is not to be confused with the City of Shoalhaven in New south Wales. Gevaar Island is also fictional, although loosely based upon on of the many islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago.