Estuary

2013 Longlist

In the shower that night, Mac cannot see UI’s tears, confused in the hot water and steam. He sits silently on the bed knowing even if they can’t bring themselves to admit it, it’s over. He looks at the items spread out in front of him, a jade elephant, the passports and the Daily News screaming, ‘New Era, Nationalists Ushered In’ and below it, ‘No Comment from the Wanni’.

He hears the tap turn and the water stop. She comes back into the room, naked, with a towel around her shoulders. She sits on the bed next to him. They both stare at the tanks below, mute. The he says gently, UI, 1968 is a year, Sri Lanka’s a country…we’re together, that’s what matters.’

Mac is born in Melbourne during the war in Vietnam. Living with his adopted parents, Uncle and Miela, he experiences the reverberations of the conflict. In time, he meets Uluru, and they move to Sri Lanka, where together they realise that they can put the past behind them. Estuary is a book about legacy, and moving on.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Sam Bunny lives in Melbourne with his wife, Selina, and daughter Bella.

Librarian’s Comments

Crossing international boundaries from Australia to Sri Lanka, traversing wars from Australia’s involvement in Vietnam to Sri Lanka’s Civil war, Estuary is a novel about legacy and moving on. It is a remarkably well written novel.