Book Review: After Darkness by Christine Piper
I’m unsure why After Darkness is not talked about more in Australian book circles, even though it was nominated for several literary awards the year it was published. I am usually aware of most Australian books but I had hardly heard of After Darkness before I saw it available via Audible. What a fantastic book it turned out to be.
Tomokazu Ibaraki is a doctor working at a hospital in Broome when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour and he is subsequently interned in a camp in South Australia. This storyline is simply fascinating and proved I was quite ignorant, especially surrounding the plight of the Australian born men who had a Japanese parent and their struggle with coping at the camps and understanding why they would need to be locked up.
We also get to read about Ibaraki’s life in Japan before the war and how he came to be living in Broome. Piper switches between the three timelines seamlessly and with great timing, ensuring the reader is just as invested in all three storylines.
The book is heartbreaking at times — obviously given its historical period and subject matter. Not so obvious were the times I cried. No spoilers but I’ll just say that Piper avoids cliches whilst still pulling on your heartstrings.
Piper’s characterisation is excellent. Each character — and there are quite a few, given the three plotlines — are so easy to imagine. I really liked Ibaraki. He manages to be quite a noble lead despite his flaws and occasional error in judgement.
The Broome setting is magical. The book truly made me pop Broome on my bucket list of places to visit before I die.
Actually, out of all the books I’ve read of late, this is the one I would love to be adapted for the big screen (or tv series). It really had a little bit of everything. Drama, historical war setting, themes of racism and forgiveness, and one of nicest touches of romance I’ve read in a while. (I have got to mention the racism part too — I really liked how Piper wrote about both the Australian and the Japanese peoples without any favouritism towards either. This isn’t a piece of bashing Aussies for locking up men.)
It would also be an excellent pick for anyone looking for a book for their teenager to use for school. As I said, it covers several important themes and Piper’s writing is definitely literary.
The narrator, Damien Warren-Smith, of the audio version avoids the trap of affecting too many accents for the Japanese. I’d highly recommend it for those who find it difficult to keep up with so many characters.
After Darkness has slipped straight into one of my top 5 reads of the year and I was a little disappointed to note that Piper has yet to write another book. Definitely 5 out of 5.
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