AustLit

'Shattered Reflections is a story about survival, love, a yearning for family and belonging, a struggle against conscience, and a quest for truth.

'Taking us across the vast expanse of Australia and spanning four decades, Shattered Reflections tells of the power of true friendship and courageous women determined to overcome tragedy and deception. And it tells of the obsessive love of a man driven to any lengths to protect his family. But how much is he willing to sacrifice to escape from a past that won’t let go?' (Publication summary)

'Resolute, successful and elegant, Frances Draper moves through life without actually touching it. Her constant companion and business partner, Samuel Tanner, enjoys a ‘hands-off’ relationship that suits them both—for their own individual reasons.

'Frances moves to a new apartment that is in the perfect location; it overlooks a beautiful park that is located near her place of work. Perfect as it is, there is a feeling of uneasiness on Frances’s part that she cannot explain.

'Melbourne’s Concert Hall is the only place where Frances lets down her emotional barriers. She is totally absorbed by the beauty of classical music but it releases tears that she is aware of - but not of their cause - and memories too painful to face.' (Publication summary)

'Lone Pine, a 650 year-old Norfolk Island pine, stands on a limestone cliff on Norfolk Island. At the base of its trunk a sapling – Piali – clings to the cliff as fierce storms threaten to destroy it.

'The island is waiting for Piali to grow strong enough to replace the old tree who has been the keeper of the island’s stories. These must be passed on so that the species will remain intact.

'Suddenly the Norfolk Island pines begin to shed their bark and drop their branches. The same is happening on the mainland of Australia. Their friends – fairy terns and green sea turtles – are desperate to halt the progress of the pines’ extinction.

'But Lone Pine’s memory is fading and time is running out for Piali to take in the stories that have occupied Lone Pine for centuries.' (Publication summary)