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y separately published work icon The Better Son single work   novel   thriller  
Issue Details: First known date: 2016... 2016 The Better Son
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'1952. Tasmania. The green, rolling hills of the dairy town Mole Creek have a dark underside — a labyrinthine underworld of tunnels that stretch for countless miles, caverns the size of cathedrals and underground rivers that flood after heavy rain. The caves are dangerous places, forbidden to children. But this is Tasmania — an island at the end of the earth. Here, rules are made to be broken.

'For two young brothers, a hidden cave a short walk from the family farm seems the perfect escape from their abusive, shell-shocked father — until the older brother goes missing. Fearful of his father, nine-year-old Kip lies about what happened. It is a decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

'Fifty years later, Kip — now an award-winning scientist — has a young son of his own, but cannot look at him without seeing his lost brother, Tommy. On a mission of atonement, he returns to the cave they called Kubla to discover if it’s ever too late to set things right. To have a second chance. To be the father he never had.

'The Better Son is a richly imaginative and universal story about the danger of secrets, the beauty in forgiveness and the enthralling power of Tasmania’s unique natural landscapes.' (Publication summary)

Notes

  • The Better Son won two prizes in 2013 as an unpublished manuscript entitled Kubla.

  • Dedication: for my parents

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Edgecliff, Sydney Eastern Harbourside, Sydney Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Ventura Press , 2016 .
      image of person or book cover 3677499650043808258.png
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 277p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 1 October 2016
      ISBN: 9781925183399, 9781925384987

Other Formats

Works about this Work

The Better Son Review : Katherine Johnson's Thriller with a Touch of the Gothic Cameron Woodhead , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 10 November 2016;

— Review of The Better Son Katherine Johnson , 2016 single work novel
'Suggestions of Tasmanian gothic hover over Katherine Johnson's The Better Son, but never quite coalesce into the kind of literary thriller the book promises to be. ...'
Katherine Johnson, The Better Son KN , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 8 October 2016;

— Review of The Better Son Katherine Johnson , 2016 single work novel
Katherine Johnson, The Better Son KN , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 8 October 2016;

— Review of The Better Son Katherine Johnson , 2016 single work novel
The Better Son Review : Katherine Johnson's Thriller with a Touch of the Gothic Cameron Woodhead , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 10 November 2016;

— Review of The Better Son Katherine Johnson , 2016 single work novel
'Suggestions of Tasmanian gothic hover over Katherine Johnson's The Better Son, but never quite coalesce into the kind of literary thriller the book promises to be. ...'
Last amended 13 Sep 2019 09:40:31
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