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'Midday, January 1988. The bay side of the island. Helen is walking along Red Rocks Beach. A dull day, dull colours, a close, grey sky. And windy – wind raking up the waves, sweeping sand against her legs in stinging rushes.' (Introduction)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
yIslandsPeggy Frew,
Crows Nest:Allen and Unwin,2019149786892019single work novel
'One family: Helen and John and their daughters Junie and Anna. Helen falls out of love with John, leaves, finds someone else, then a series of others, not paying enough attention to her daughters along the way. John is consumed by jealousy and hopelessness and in his self‐absorption also fails to notice signals from the girls. Junie grows up brittle and defensive, Anna difficult and rebellious.
'One tragedy: When 15‐year‐old Anna fails to come home one night, her mother's unconcerned, as she's done it before and always returned, so it takes three days for her to report it. But this time she doesn't come back... Anna has disappeared and the remaining family members spend the rest of their lives trying to make up for her devastating loss. Each of them must find their own way to cope. (Publication summary)