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'Daniel Whittaker has left some unusual instructions in his will: in order for his three children to collect their generous inheritance, they must hand-deliver letters addressed to strangers from their father’s past. Who are these people and what was their significance to Daniel?
'For his eldest son, Richard, there are hidden motives for his impatience to settle the will. His sister Evonne is still hurting from decades of her parents’ disapproval. The youngest sibling, Kelly, believes she knew her father best.
'As Daniel’s children carry out his last wishes, each of them must confront their entrenched ideas about their father, and reconsider their own lives. What they discover is beyond anything they imagined.'
source: Publisher's blurb.
Notes
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Dedication: To my children : each of you holds a piece of my heart in your hands.
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Epigraph:
The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. - Albert Schweitzer
There is a strange charm in the thoughts of a good legacy, or the hopes of an estate, which wondrously alleviates the sorrow that men would otherwise feel for the death of friends. - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
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Author's note: The character of Margaret Sonnet in Parting Words was inspired by Moshlo (Morrice Shaw) a passionate and talented musician who first introduced me to the doina. While we met only once and corresponded a mere handful of times before he sadly took his own life, Moshlo's influence is testament to the truth that from little things, big things grow. I hope this story is a small tribute to his extraordinary life. You can listen to doina and find out more about Moshlo (31 December 1935 - 11 April 2015) http//wwww.youtube.com/watch?v=ChH1zx8Bqkec or here: Last portrait of Moshlo https:// vimeo.com/131606113. Thanks also to Carla Thackrah for generously sharing both her memories of Moshlo and her knowledge of doina.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Journeys beyond the Point of Departure
2017
single work
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— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1 October 2017; (p. 20)'Do we really know our parents? When Daniel Whittaker, a prosperous real-estate agent, dies at 88, his will includes a surprising demand: access to his estate is denied until his three middle-aged children deliver a dozen letters.' (Introduction)
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Journeys beyond the Point of Departure
2017
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1 October 2017; (p. 20)'Do we really know our parents? When Daniel Whittaker, a prosperous real-estate agent, dies at 88, his will includes a surprising demand: access to his estate is denied until his three middle-aged children deliver a dozen letters.' (Introduction)
