'From conversations with a Romani friend in Australia, Caroline Cooper became fascinated with an almost-forgotten piece of history: the plight of European Gypsies as Adolf Hitler "cleansed" the world of nearly eleven million "undesirables".
'The Romani call it Porrajmos, or the "Devouring". In her debut novel Caroline Cooper dug beyond the often brief descriptions available of the fate of the Romani and found compelling, sometimes first-hand stories of persecution that continues to this day in some parts of the world. She wove these together to create the story of Gil Webb, an English Gypsy who found himself in Auschwitz during World War Two and lived to find freedom in Australia.
'His "drom", or journey, takes over sixty years, through the worst time in Romani history to his still-nightmare-laden old age in Australia, when the unthinkable happens: he learns one of his Auschwitz tormentors is alive and doing very well indeed...in Australia.'
Source: ACTWriters' Centre eNews, 25 July 2012
Sighted: 27/07/2012
Book launched in Canberra at the National Library of Australia by Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 2 August 2012.
