A beautifully written book about love, jealousy and betrayal. As events unfold you find yourself mentally shouting out to the characters to communicate with one another rather than take the paths which inevitably will cause heartache and loss.
Set at the end of World War II when so many lives have been touched and damaged by those events the story of Spin and Momoko is all the more poignant.
A fantastic debut novel, I will be looking out for Steven Carroll’s next with great anticipation.
"The lovers' room would always be theirs, and they would take it with them wherever they went."
As the Allied forces occupy Japan at the end of World War II, an intense love affair develops between shy Australian Allen "Spin" Bowler, an interpreter in the British army, and Momoko, a western-educated, elegant young woman whose calmness and dignity veil the tiredeness and defeat she has suffered.
Under her spell, Spin gradually sheds his shy bookish self and in the quiet sanctuary of Momoko's room their love transcends the cultural boundaries that divide them. However, the betrayal that follows - of Spin's beliefs and of Momoko - has devastating consequences, forever changing the course of both lives.
"If, as they say, the past is another country, then Carroll is the ideal guide." Sydney Morning Herald
Author
About Steven Carroll
Steven Carroll was born in Melbourne and grew up in Glenroy. He went to La Trobe University and taught English in schools before playing in bands in the 1970s. After leaving the music scene he began work as a playwright and became a theatre critic. Now a full-time novelist and reviewer, he has twice been short-listed for the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award - the richest literary prize in Australia.
