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'The pressure of my blood, the beat of my heart, is a message to you. You read each second of my body's life. But watching goes both ways. You watch us: for control, for power, for pleasure. We watch you: for survival, for fear, for love.
'It is the present day. The foggy northern city of Port Angelsund, gateway to the last great fossil fuel reserves beneath the Arctic Ocean, is under occupation by the soldiers of Garrison. Sylvie is a young woman just trying to survive. She works in a harbourside café with her mother and little brother, and fears for her older brother, Jory, who fled when the enemy invaded.
'When Sylvie is singled out for punishment at a Garrison checkpoint, a young lieutenant rescues her from torture. Though she knows the terrible risks of collaboration, she cannot stop herself from falling in love. Watched closely by Garrison’s vast machinery of surveillance, Sylvie now discovers she is also under the protective and suspicious gaze of her lover.
'Brooding over the rim of the world, Coalition pledges to free Port Angelsund: storm is coming, they say, we are on our way. When Jory returns on a terrorist mission that will throw the city into chaos, Sylvie’s loyalties are tested beyond breaking point. Her deep bond with her brother and her illicit passion for her Garrison officer are loves that cannot coexist. Whatever she does is betrayal.
'In the spirit of Hiroshima Mon Amour and Suite Francaise, this sensual and heart-breaking novel brings the classic conflicts of war and occupation, devotion and treachery, up to the present minute. While the unimaginable power of modern warfare advances, Watch Over Me reminds us that the things at stake—survival, refuge and love—remain the things worth fighting for.'
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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[Review] Watch Over Me
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Aurealis , no. 102 2017;
— Review of Watch Over Me 2017 single work novel -
Love in the Cold Light of Military Occupation
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13 May 2017; (p. 22) 'Opening with armed guards enforcing draconian checkpoints and permits, Claire Corbett’s second novel initially seems to depict a dystopian near-future. But Watch Over Me is in fact set in the present. The fictional city of Port Angelsund has been occupied by a foreign army, known as Garrison, because of its location near a valuable reserve of natural energy at the Scandinavian gateway to the Arctic Circle.' (Introduction) -
Claire Corbett : Watch Over Me
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , May 2017; 'This is a powerful portrayal of what can happen in war and in the skilful hands of Claire Corbett the message is clear: there but for the grace of God …'
-
[Review] Watch Over Me
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Aurealis , no. 102 2017;
— Review of Watch Over Me 2017 single work novel -
Claire Corbett : Watch Over Me
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , May 2017; 'This is a powerful portrayal of what can happen in war and in the skilful hands of Claire Corbett the message is clear: there but for the grace of God …' -
Love in the Cold Light of Military Occupation
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13 May 2017; (p. 22) 'Opening with armed guards enforcing draconian checkpoints and permits, Claire Corbett’s second novel initially seems to depict a dystopian near-future. But Watch Over Me is in fact set in the present. The fictional city of Port Angelsund has been occupied by a foreign army, known as Garrison, because of its location near a valuable reserve of natural energy at the Scandinavian gateway to the Arctic Circle.' (Introduction)