WHERE THERE’S SMOKE
BLURB
The little town of Edenville is special to Luke and his mother. With the help of big biker Tiny, they reckon they’ve at last found somewhere free from the trouble that has stalked them for far too long. But it’s fire season, the bush is ready to explode, and there’s smoke just over the hills. This little piece of paradise is in the path of a monster that could destroy everyone and everything.
Set around the horrific Victorian bushfires of 7 February 2009, John Heffernan’s award-winning novel captures not only the ferocity of the disaster, but the sheer courage and determination of those who faced and fought it. “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things spurred me to write this story.”
AWARDS
Shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards
SAMPLE
From chapter 10
‘You should be at school, no?‘
‘Yeah, Tiny, I should be at school. But I just can‘t hack it today.‘
‘Hack it? What is this hack it?‘
‘I can‘t take any more. It‘s too hard and too hot.‘
‘This no good. Without school you nothing.‘
‘Yeah, I know, pinch of sheet.‘
‘Too right. You must hack it.‘
‘Not you too? I didn‘t come here to be told what I must do.‘ Luke started to walk away. ‘Forget it.‘
‘Whoa there, pardner! Hold your horse.‘ Tiny reached out and patted Luke on the shoulder.
‘I no want to chase you out. Okay, I shut my trap. Promise.‘ Luke turned round. ‘So what‘s giving you the goat, eh?‘
‘I need to talk, that‘s all.‘
Luke and his mother had had a lot to do with Tiny Cobb since he‘d brought them to Edenville. And yet there was still so much about the man that was a mystery.
Where did he come from, for a start? Luke‘s mother said she thought he was from somewhere in Eastern Europe. But that was just a guess. Tiny hardly ever spoke about himself or his past.
Then there was his size. Luke could never get used to that. His whole frame was huge – shoulders, chest, arms and legs. It was as if he‘d come from an ancient race of giants.
But to Tiny, size meant nothing. ‘Outside big is not important,‘ he told Luke once. ‘Inside big is what matters. Think always of others, and you grow every day. Think only of yourself and you shrivel away.‘
AUTHOR NOTE
"For those who lived through the hell of Black Saturday. And for those who didn’t."
As a farmer, I’ve experienced the awesome power of fire, and know only too well the fear and respect with which that force of nature must be held.
We only ever had one truly serious bushfire on our property, but I won’t forget it. Never in my life have I felt so powerless, so insignificant and ineffectual. And I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so frightened. That fire was a monster; it devoured the trees and grass and bushes with a rapacious appetite.
The Victorian bushfires that exploded on February 7th 2009 were the most ferocious Nature has ever thrown at anyone in Australia. That day in particular has burnt itself into the collective psyche of this country. It eclipses in so many ways all previous bushfire disasters that have scorched us to the soul.
The images from that day were so stark and confronting that I couldn’t stop thinking about them. They haunted me until I had no choice but to write something. The staggering power of Nature, the terrifying futility in the face of such a force, and the immense suffering and loss, are among the pictures that stand out. Less spectacular, but more enduring to my mind, were the stories that emerged later of courage and fortitude, camaraderie and indomitable human spirit. These images of ordinary people doing extraordinary things were what spurred me to write this story.
I consciously decided not to set this tale in the area of Victoria affected by the Black Saturday fires, although many similarities might be recognisable. Instead, I set the story in a fictitious town that could be anywhere in the bushfire belt of Australia. I did this partly to avoid causing pain to any individuals, but also because fire is a creature that casts its shadow over so much of this wide brown land.