First published 1998
Born on the working-class streets of Sydney, Geraldine Brooks longs to see the world. She finds her window through pen pals, whose letters transport her to Middle Eastern conflicts, Parisian protests, and Israeli kibbutzim. Two decades later, a global reporter, Brooks returns home to care for her dying father - and uncovers the old letters that unlock her own past. Her human treasure hunt to find her long-lost correspondents reveals lives shaped by war, fame, and mental illness, as Brooks finally sees her own sheltered youth with new clarity.
Genres: biography, family, family-life, autobiography, memoir, journalism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, human-treasure-hunt
Setting: Australia, Middle East, Paris, Israel
Period: 20th-century
210 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday