Cirrus@Austlit

'Rudra, the son of a fisherman, lives quietly in a small town on the Central Coast of NSW. He has dealt with racism his whole life but hasn't engaged with his Indian heritage until two events change the pattern of his days: his grandmother, his Didima, visits from India; and then while out fishing, Rudra and his dad haul up a tiger skull in their net. Soon Rudra and his mum are on a journey to India, where Rudra seeks to discover answers to the questions he'd never thought to ask. A wonderfully compelling novel underpinned by journeys of discovery and notions of belonging.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Each step becomes a heartbeat and I feel the distance between Omed and me closing. I remember when I first met him - when he had showed me what bravery meant. How he had stood up for what he believed. In the end that had been his undoing.

'Omed is a boy from Afghanistan. After making an enemy of the Taliban on the day the Buddhas of Bamiyan are destroyed, he undertakes a perilous journey to seek asylum in Australia. Hector is a grieving Australian boy who has given up on school and retreated into silence. Their paths meet at a candle factory where they both find work. But secrets fester behind the monotonous routine of assembling wax and wicks - secrets with terrible consequences. And, ultimately, it is up to Hector to see how the story ends.

'Omed's and Hector's beautifully told and compelling journeys will grip hold of your heart and not let go.' (From the publisher's website.)