image of person or book cover 6627890483833259618.jpeg
Cover image courtesy of Allen & Unwin.
y separately published work icon The Children single work   novel  
Issue Details: First known date: 2007... 2007 The Children
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'When their father is critically injured, foreign correspondent Mandy and her siblings return home, bringing with them the remnants and patterns of childhood. Mandy has lived away from the country for many years. Her head is filled with images of terror and war, and her homecoming to the quiet country town - not to mention her family and marriage - only heightens her disconnection from ordinary life. Cathy, her younger sister, has stayed in regular contact with her parents, trying also to keep tabs on their brother Stephen who, for reasons nobody understands, has held himself apart from the family for years.

'In the intensive care unit the children sit, trapped between their bewildered mother and one another; between old wounds and forgiveness, struggling to connect with their emotions, their past and each other. But as they wait and watch over their father, there's someone else watching too: a young wardsman, Tony, who's been waiting for Mandy to come home. As he insinuates himself into the family, the pressure, and the threat, intensify and build to a climax of devastating force.' (Publisher's blurb)

Notes

  • Dedication: For sisters and little brothers, especially mine and always, for Sean.
  • Epigraph: Who said Happiness is the light shining on the water. The water is cold and dark and deep... - William Maxwell, 'Over by the River', All the Days and Nights.
  • Stephen, a character from The Children is the main character in Wood's Animal People.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2007 .
      image of person or book cover 6627890483833259618.jpeg
      Cover image courtesy of Allen & Unwin.
      Extent: 269p.
      ISBN: 9781741753356 (pbk.)

Other Formats

Works about this Work

West Steps up to Secure Winton Portmanteau Michael Bodey , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian , 18 July 2012; (p. 15)
Aborigines, Sharks and Australian Accents : On Australian Writing Jo Case , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings , July no. 6 2011; (p. 41-51)

'Jo Case talks to influential writers, publishers and critics about that often frustrating definition of 'Australia' literature.' (Editor's abstract)

Forgive Me, Forgive Me : The Ethics of Using Other People's Lives in Fiction Charlotte Wood , 2009 single work essay
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 68 no. 4 2009; (p. 66-83)
Family on the Edge Lucy Clark , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 28 October 2007; (p. 18)

— Review of The Children Charlotte Wood , 2007 single work novel
Family Matters Deborah Bogle , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 1 December 2007; (p. 13)
[Review] The Children Lucy Meredith , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , August vol. 87 no. 2 2007; (p. 33)

— Review of The Children Charlotte Wood , 2007 single work novel
Demons of Childhood Kerryn Goldsworthy , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 6 October 2007; (p. 22)

— Review of The Children Charlotte Wood , 2007 single work novel
Cutting to the Quick Stephanie Bishop , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 295 2007; (p. 29)

— Review of The Children Charlotte Wood , 2007 single work novel
Fragile Ties that Bind Katharine England , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 13 October 2007; (p. 12)

— Review of The Children Charlotte Wood , 2007 single work novel ; Lilia's Secret Erina Reddan , 2007 single work novel
Every Witness Tells a Different Story Dorothy Johnston , 2007 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 13-14 October 2007; (p. 39)

— Review of The Children Charlotte Wood , 2007 single work novel
Family Fortunes Jane Sullivan , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 24 November 2007; (p. 26-27)
Family Matters Deborah Bogle , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 1 December 2007; (p. 13)
Forgive Me, Forgive Me : The Ethics of Using Other People's Lives in Fiction Charlotte Wood , 2009 single work essay
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 68 no. 4 2009; (p. 66-83)
Aborigines, Sharks and Australian Accents : On Australian Writing Jo Case , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings , July no. 6 2011; (p. 41-51)

'Jo Case talks to influential writers, publishers and critics about that often frustrating definition of 'Australia' literature.' (Editor's abstract)

West Steps up to Secure Winton Portmanteau Michael Bodey , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian , 18 July 2012; (p. 15)
Last amended 17 Jun 2020 12:07:26
Settings:
  • Far West NSW, New South Wales,
  • Country towns,
  • 2006
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