After Darkness

by Christine Piper

While working at a Japanese hospital in the pearling port of Broome, Dr Ibaraki is arrested as an enemy alien and sent to Loveday internment camp in a remote corner of South Australia. There, he learns to live among a group of men who are divided by culture and allegiance. As tensions at the isolated camp escalate, the doctor's long-held beliefs are thrown into question and he is forced to confront his dark past: the promise he made in Japan and its devastating consequences.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Australia, Fiction, War, Historical, World War II, Novels

297 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2014

About the author

Christine Piper’s short fiction has been published in Seizure, SWAMP and Things That Are Found In Trees and Other Stories.

She was the 2013 Alice Hayes writing fellow at Ragdale in the United States. She has studied creative writing at Macquarie University, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the University of Technology, Sydney, where she wrote a version of this novel as part of her doctoral degree. She has also worked as a magazine editor and writer for more than a decade.

Born in South Korea in 1979 to an Australian father and a Japanese mother, she moved to Australia when she was one. She has previously taught English and studied Japanese in Japan, and currently lives in New York with her husband. After Darkness is her first novel.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst working at the Japanese hospital in the pearling port of Broome, Dr Ibaraki is arrested as an enemy alien along with hundreds of others. Being sent to Lovelyday interment camp in South Australia, where he would spend his time with many Japanese men.

As time passes at the camp there seems to an increased amount of tension within the men. Dr Ibaraki has strong beliefs that he's always desired to uphold, but it seems they may be in question.

Aussie author Christine Piper has written a beautiful and very moving story which I found to be very interesting and very hard to put down. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot to like about this book. The prose is very visual. Descriptions of places and people really come alive. This is just one ‘I glimpsed the contour of a wide river, its surface glittering white. Dead trees haunted its edges, their limbs stretching skywards, as if begging for forgiveness…’ That ends up being not only a description of the landscape but almost a metaphor for the book. Sometimes the descriptions are too visual and this weak stomached person ended up skipping details about the research, experiments and medical procedures. Unable to continue with the experimental work being carried on in Japan, and after the breakup of his marriage to Kayoko, Tomokazu Ibaraku, leaves Japan for Broome. While there WWII breaks out and he finds his nation is at war with Australia. He is sent, along with others, to a POW internment camp.
The story varies between scenes from his life earlier in Japan and marriage, to his days working in the hospital in Broome and then in Loveday, the internment camp. This way we get to learn more of his life although there is always a certain reserve. One of the character says at one point of Tomokazu ‘all these years we’ve worked together and I still don’t know who you are. I’ve tried to understand you- the Lord knows how much I’ve tried. But as soon as you show a part of yourself, almost at once you hide it away.’ As a reader I felt a little the same. While I enjoyed many aspects of this book, I never really understood the character.
This is a debut novel which won the 2014 Australian/Vogel's Literary Award. It’s not hard to see why. The writing is beautiful and the story interesting. It is not a page turner but rather a quietly reflective novel that leaves room for questions and for thought. The cover is stunning and explained in the context of the novel.

[Lee at ReadWriteWish · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Tomokazu Ibaraki arrived in Broome, Australia in 1938 after his position in a Japanese research unit had been terminated, and he and his wife Kayoko had separated. Unable to find a position in Japan, he made the decision to work in the hospital in Broome, signing a two year contract. Tomo was slow to make friends though Sister Bernice, the nun who assisted in the hospital alongside him, came to know him a little. But over time, the doctor came to consider Broome home – he enjoyed his work at the hospital; the Japanese celebrations that were upheld during the year; the few friends he made.

But in 1942 there was a change in the atmosphere – Australia and Japan were at war; Dr Ibaraki was arrested as an enemy alien, alongside hundreds of others. He was sent to Loveday internment camp in South Australia where he was to spend his time with many men; all men who were of Japanese descent, but some much more Australian than others. The vast difference between them caused friction and small groups formed – the tensions escalated alarmingly. Tomo was treating patients in the camp hospital and it was during this time that he found his allegiance to Japan on shaky ground.

As he searched his heart, a sudden awareness made Tomo understand that the promise he had made in Japan - the promise that had torn his life apart – had caused his feelings of guilt and shattered his loyalty. He had always been a man of honour and integrity; could he rectify his past mistakes?

I thoroughly enjoyed After Darkness – a hauntingly beautiful novel, written in such a profound way that it will touch your heart and stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Narrated by Tomokazu Ibaraki, the timeframe moved between Japan, Broome and Loveday camp between 1938 and 1942. After Darkness is the debut novel of Aussie author Christine Piper and I have no hesitation in recommending it highly.

[MaryG2E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-written story sheds light on an important though seldom-mentioned aspect of World War 2 - the internment by the Australian Government of ‘enemy aliens’ in the interests of national security. Christine Piper’s book focuses on the internment of Japanese residents, many of whom were long-term ex-pats, with little or no connection to their origins in Japan.

The protagonist, Dr Ibaraki Tomokazu, has been working at the Japanese hospital in Broome, location of Australia's prosperous pearling industry which was dominated by a sizeable Japanese workforce. He is transported to an isolated detention facility called Loveday, in the Riverland area of South Australia. Here he is housed with other male Japanese prisoners from many parts of Australia and the British Empire. The internees have done nothing illegal, and are not prisoners of war. Rather, they have been forced into segregation because of their ethnic origins. Many are naturalised British subjects, who had been working in places like Borneo and New Caldedonia when war broke out. Others are Australian citizens born of Japanese parentage, English-speakers who have lived all their lives in this country. Along similar lines, the camp at Loveday houses many hundreds of detainees of German and Italian heritage. These groups are all perceived to be potential enemies of the state, who might spy for their country of origin.

Dr Ibaraki had enjoyed a successful career as a medical researcher in Tokyo and had married a beautiful wife, whom he cherished. His life sours when his research work at the Army Medical College comes to dominate his waking hours, drawing him into the war effort. His senior officers demand of him total loyalty, confidentiality and discretion. He takes these requirements very much to heart. Being somewhat reticent and emotionally reserved by nature, he has no difficulty in keeping his oath to his superiors. Over time his work and home lives diverge, yet, sworn to secrecy, he cannot offer an explanation to his wife and parents.

Eventually the grimness of his work triggers Ibaraki’s resignation, around the same time as his marriage fails. After a period of drifting, he takes the job at the hospital in Broome. He falls in love with the Australian landscape and he prospers in the local community. But he carries a heavy heart and his emotions are tamped right down, because of the dire secrets he has buried deep in his psyche. This emotional blockage informs many of his subsequent decisions, often to his own detriment.

Structurally, the story switches between pre-war Tokyo, pre-war Broome and wartime Loveday Camp. These are well-crafted transitions, and the reasons for Dr Ibaraki’s situation emerge in a gradual, meaningful way. Ibaraki narrates his story in the first person, past tense. Although the character is fictional, Piper has based him on extensive research that she did, so it feels like reading a memoir. There is a strong sense of authenticity in Ibaraki’s ‘voice’. The prose style is straightforward, but has a refined elegance about it which I think is typically Japanese.

Piper herself is half-Japanese. Some of the most memorable characters who interact with Dr Ibaraki are those interns of mixed heritage. They are the ‘fringe-dwellers’ of Loveday Camp. Hot-blooded Johnny Cheng carries great anger about his detention because he was born here ands sees himself as entirely Australian. Handsome Stanley Suzuki falls into a deep depression because of his situation, separated from his mother and sister left in Sydney. Some of the full-blood Japanese are less than honourable, and stir up trouble with the half-Japanese, which is a source of much grief for Ibaraki.

I greatly enjoyed this book, because it is well-written and an interesting read. More than that, because it is based on true events, I feel that my understanding of Australians during the war has been enhanced, as well as some interesting insights into Australian race relations. After Darkness won the Vogel Award for 2014, deservedly in my opinion. My only complaint is that I can’t see how the book title relates to anything. It is a bland and rather meaningless title, and for prospective readers the appeal of the book could have been enhanced by a snappier name.
4★s

[Sally906 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opening line: "... The sun spread on the horizon, bleeding colour like a broken yolk..."


My Thoughts: The narrator of AFTER DARKNESS is a Japanese doctor - Tomokazu Ibaraki. He arrived in Australia in 1938 seeking redemption of his honour after leaving his wife and mother back in Japan. He had somehow shamed his employers and was fired from his work in a Japanese research unit under a mysterious and shameful dark cloud. At this point I will point out that what he did, although awful, was not only legal, it was endorsed by the authorities. When Australia declares war on Japan in 1941 he is rounded up along with Italians and Germans and other Japanese people living in Australia, and locked away as being potential dangers to Australia. I was aware that there were Internment Camps in Australia during both wars – but only recently are they starting to appear as settings in contemporary Australian literature. It is an interesting concept internment – some of the men locked away with Ibaraki had never been to Japan, some were not even full blood Japanese – they were Australian born and bred – Stan had even fought in the Australian army until he was interned as an enemy alien. How could he be acceptable to fight for Australia one day, and then be a security risk the next, because of his late father’s race? His sister is also interned in another state and his elderly Australian mother is left to fend for herself alone in Sydney. Was interesting to see too, how some of the Japanese inmates felt emotionally aligned to Japan but others, like the doctor and Stan, were conflicted. After living in a country side by side with Australians how can you rejoice their downfall at the hands of your people?

Against these conflicted feelings Ibaraki is struggling with his own place in the world, his guilt over his past prevents him from being close to people – he has detached himself on an emotional level so fails to note what is happening around him in the Internment camp. Ibaraki and the other inmates are treated reasonably well by their imprisoners – especially when compared to treatment of prisoners in other parts of the world. Close contact between inmates mean that allegiances are created between the different cultures, different tents, and difference between those of the same culture. These allegiances lead to a subtle escalation in violence between the different groups.

AFTER DARKNESS is wonderfully written – the language is beautifully descriptive. For example, in the train on his way to the Internment camp “…I glimpsed the contour of a wide river, its surface glittering white. Dead trees haunted its edges, their limbs stretching skywards, as if begging for forgiveness…” Christine Piper took control of my imagination and following the concept of less is more drew me into the story, the events in Japan, the mood of the camp, the growing fear and Ibaraki’s gradual emergence into awareness. There is also the progression of the back story about the events in Japan that led Ibaraki to Australia, and his time in Australia prior to internment with the time frames and locations meshing seamlessly together. AFTER DARKNESS won the 2014 Vogel Prize which is one of Australia's richest and the most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of thirty-five, a worthy winner indeed.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

After Darkness ... was light
As in light-weight

Don't mean to sound condescending but it was a good read - suitable for serialisation in a light-weight weekly mag. It was nice, light, easy-reading historical fiction. It was strong on context but weak on content, as in, the author managed to give a sense of place and historical detail but the characterisation and plotline were dull.

The narrative skirted around the darker aspects of the subject material with violence kept at arms length. In fact anything that could be considered a bit nasty ... from camp latrines to personal privations ... was excised from the novel. The horrors of chemical warfare were alluded to but the war itself was just a backdrop. Sex never reared its ugly head, except for sweetly colouring his relationship with the unattainable nun, and frequent reference to his melancholy marriage. Whoops, I forgot ... there was that one nasty guard ... boo hiss ... but he got his come-uppence ... suspended without pay!

The voice of the first person narrative is restrained and understated. His relationships with others lack empathy and intimacy. Fine, that was the way he was meant to be written, but, given that the pivotal point to his character is his belief in honour, dignity and "saving face", I found his behaviour lacked verisimilitude (eg, the very public tears in the courtroom). At times he seemed to just go through the motions and this lead to a failure to engage me as a reader. There was a lack of passion, a lack of poignancy. The climax of the book was as murky as the dust storm that shrouded it. Too much of the narrative was loosely strung together historical research.

Interesting? ... yes.
Engaging read? ... moderately so.
Did I care what happened to the characters? ... no, they were boring, with no life breathed into them, behaving in unbelievable ways so that all that research didn't go to waste.

And I am just not sure how the title relates to the narrative?

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel tells the story of Tomokazu Ibaraku, a fictional Japanese doctor working in Broome at the outbreak of WWII who is subsequently sent to a POW internment camp in Victoria. Dr Ibaraku had fled Japan and his failing marriage when he realized he could not continue with the biological work he was doing for the military. In Broome he not only finds useful work at the Japanese hospital and starts to rediscover some self esteem. Once at the internment camp he must live in close quarters with other Japanese trapped in Australia at the start of the war and look forward to the possibility of being sent back to Japan one day to face his fears.

Dr Ibaraku is an interesting character. Although he has deep feelings he is constrained by the culture in Japan at the time to be restrained and not even talk to his family and friends of his true feelings. He is taught this is being discrete but it paralyses his relationship with his wife and later with Sister Bernice, the nun who works with him in Broome and tries to understand him.

I enjoyed this debut novel not just for the fine quality of the writing but also for the extensive research done by the author. The novel touches on the history of the Japanese in Broome and paints a picture of what it was before the start of WWII. As an Australian I had heard of the Cowra Internment camp and the escape of Japanese POWs during WWII but wasn’t aware of the existence of the Loveday camps or the internment of those with part Japanese parentage born in Australia. The details of life for the POWs in those camps mirrors historical accounts and rings true. I also hadn’t heard of the biological work that Dr Ibaraku was involved in and again the details have been well researched.

[RitaSkeeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet last year, which tackles similar subject matter to this book; that being the internment of those who were (or descended from) Japanese during WW11. The aforementioned book was set in the USA, whilst this one is set in Australia. I found Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was a more a romance than historical fiction, and whilst sweet I found it flimsy.

Piper, however, has written a book that is literary historical fiction; beautifully written and with depth. The book follows one main character, with shifts between three distinct time periods: Japan; working in Broome during the war; and then in the internment camp. The time shifts were not confusing, as sometimes they can be. The sections set in the internment camp were particularly interesting, with the author exploring the range of different people there, from those who still identified with Japan, those who didn't, and those born in Australia and didn't identify as Japanese at all. Scenes from the latter were particularly moving, with those men detained because of ancestry even though they themselves were Australian born and identified as Australian. As can be imagined, there were tensions between those different groups, and Piper draws the impact this had on the men.

This is a beautiful book; at first glance it is restrained and subtle, but as you sink deeper into the novel the depth and the author's understanding of human dynamics come to the fore.

Recommended.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read quite a few books about WWII, but I haven’t read many about the internment of Japanese civilians. And I don’t think I’ve read anything about Japanese internment in Australia.

In fact, I may be naïve, but I hadn’t even realised that there were Japanese interned here. I can understand why it’s done, but it would be very difficult to be living one of these camps for the duration of the war - especially if you were born and bred in Australia, as some of these men were.

This book followed the story, told in 3 time periods of Dr Iberaki - the time that he spent in the camp and what happened there, his time in Broome before he was interned, and about 5 years prior in Japan and what led to him going to Broome.

And, in fact, what led to Dr Iberaki leaving Japan to go to Broome was horrendous, and another aspect of WWII of which I was ignorant. I think it is better to read this book not being aware initially of just what Dr Iberaki was doing in Japan, but for those who have read the book, I do have to say that the Japanese experiments for biological warfare sound horrific! Ishii Shiro was a real person and Unit 731 was a real entity, and some of Shiro's experiments are described here: http://www.deepblacklies.co.uk/unit73..., and a Wikipedia entry on Unit 731: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_73....

I felt this started a little slowly, but it didn’t take long to pick up. It was published in 2014, so I wonder whether the author has another story either in mind or being committed to paper (or the computer), because I would happily read her next work!

ETA: My only comment would be that there are some Japanese terms in the book, and while some are obvious (either because of what they are or the context), others are not so obvious, so a glossary would have been helpful.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Romei, in the blurb on the back of this award-winning novel, says that it deserves a place alongside Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Mark Dapin’s Spirit House – and I think he’s right. After Darkness is indeed a remarkable novel, so accomplished in its writing and so compelling a story in the issues that it raises that I am not at all surprised that it won the 2014 Vogel Prize.

Set in a remote Australian internment camp during World War 2, After Darkness tells the story of Tomakazu Ibaraki, and his struggle to find a way to keep living after a descent to the depths of suffering. Ibaraki has to reinvent himself when he realises that the ideals by which he has lived his life have been perverted. His loyalty to the group rather than the individual, and his belief that his honour depends on his discretion become irrevocably associated with great evil in which he is complicit. As I watch the ISIS atrocities on TV this week, I wonder if a time will come when these men will confront the human suffering they have inflicted in their cause, and be appalled by their own wickedness. Will they be like the monster in Anna Funder’s Stasiland and go to the grave still justifying their actions? Or will they, like Ibaraki in this novel, suffer the torment of remorse?

Ibaraki’s sin occurs in Tokyo the pre-war period, and he seeks redemption working far from home in Broome. (No, I’m not going to tell you what his sin was. Suffice to say that I have chosen to use the word ‘sin’ rather than ‘crime’ because what he did was not only legal, it was endorsed by the authorities.) When war breaks out he is interned, and paradoxically he almost welcomes it because the loss of freedom relieves him of responsibility, and he fears the decisions that he made when he was free.

To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/06/18/af...

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A fairly underwhelming read, typical VCAA text. An Aussie writer who throws in a tonne of pathetic fallacy in an attempt to mask their inability to develop a character fully. So much showing rather than telling when it came to Ibaraki’s thoughts and feelings. Lots of interesting subject matter but none of it developed in any way that raised the stakes high enough to captivate me. Each thread of the plot was concluded anti-climactically. I’m really not looking forward to helping a bunch of white kids try to emulate the experiences of Japanese POWs in their creative writing SAC.

[Joanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Darkness is an extremely well written, haunting novel that stays with you. This is a book that I will not forget, as the subject matter (an internment camp in Australia for enemy aliens during the second world war) is quite honestly something to which I have never given much consideration.

Although the inmates for the most part were treated reasonably well the diverse population with their different cultures and allegiances created an environment that led to escalating violence.

Narrated by a Japanese doctor the book ranges from 1934 to present day 1942. The author intersperses the time frames and locations - South Australia, Broome and Tokyo with consummate skill.

The book deftly shows the conflicts of the doctor's honour, dignity and need for discretion against the truth of the drama unfolding around him.

A wonderful, thought provoking book!

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1942 and Australia is in the midst of yet another war. The government is taking no chances and has rounded up anyone who is of the descent of the enemy: Japanese, German, Italian, etc and put them into internment camps.

Dr Ibaraki works in a Japanese hospital in Broome and although he escaped the early rounding up due to his profession, he has finally been arrested and sent to Loveday internment camp in a remote desert corner of South Australia. It is dusty, dry and hot in summer and cold during winter.

Populating the camp are men of a mix of ethnicity, culture and allegiance. There are men who were born in different Asian countries, men who were born in Australia, even men who were born to one Australian parent. Time in the camp challenges Ibaraki’s beliefs and the way in which he views people that he thought he knew.

Last year I read a list of 50 exciting books by Australian women and ended up noting down maybe a dozen that I hadn’t read and that I thought sounded like something I’d be interested in. This was one of them and I requested it from my local library, picking it up just before Christmas. I’ve read several books that make mention of German or Italians who were taken into internment camps but this is the first time I’ve read something about someone of Japanese heritage. Dr Ibaraki came to Australia to work in a Japanese hospital in Broome, treating mostly the Japanese community. He works closely with a nun from a local order who serves as his nurse and it’s through some of his memories of conversations with Sister Bernice that the reader learns a lot about him. As the book progresses, more and more of his past in Japan is revealed, such as his crumbling marriage and his job working in a medical research facility that valued discretion and loyalty above pretty much all else.

I can’t imagine what it must have been like for some of these people, to be taken away from their homes of years (or in some cases, pretty much their whole lives) and taken to a remote camp in the desert. When Ibaraki arrives, they sleep in tents with construction on cabins beginning for the chilly desert winter. Although they seem to be fed relatively well and have access to purchasing things like cigarettes which they afford by working in the camp, it must be somewhat humiliating and depressing to be incarcerated simply because of birth or parental heritage. Ibaraki sees many that are loyal to the Emperor and cheer the Japanese victories an refuse to believe the Allied advancement but he also sees people who were born in Australia, where it’s all they have ever known. Because of their reluctance they are branded troublemakers, half-castes who are neither Asian nor Australian. Ibaraki struggles when he is told that someone he respects and admires is involved in a horrible and violent act – he refuses to believe that it could possibly true and is certain at first that it’s the “half-caste” troublemakers that are lying. His lack of belief does have some far-reaching repercussions and it does take a tragic act, a case of mistaken identity and a bad situation for Ibaraki to begin to question everything he knows.

I found Ibaraki an interesting character. He strikes me as being “very Japanese” although at the same time that also sounds kind of weird because what does that mean? He’s quiet, measured, thoughtful. He’s a doctor but readily admits that patient relations are the part of his job that he struggles with. At times he seems socially awkward and lacking in the ability to relate to other people and this is made even more evident when he reflects on what went wrong within his marriage. He seemed to do little in order to dispel his wife’s fears and misconceptions and although some of that was very much tied up in the confidential nature of the job he was doing and how he was bound by silence, there were ways in which he could have reassured her and made her feel better. Instead he did nothing, perhaps a result of all the pressure placed upon him but also because I’m not entirely sure he knew how.

The reader doesn’t need Ibaraki to confirm exactly what sort of work he was doing in Japan before he came to Australia. It’s horrific and it’s something he clearly struggles with and yet at the same time I think he’s a man of honour so he believes that he must do the job he gave his word to do. I feel like perhaps some of his feelings were tied up in his father and how he felt about that as well as how he got the job in the first place. It’s beautifully understated how what he was doing plays on his mind for a long, long time.

I think the conflict in the internment camp was very well done. The men were all different, some had never been to Japan, some had been born in Australia, others like Ibaraki had chosen to come to Australia and were perhaps disillusioned with the sort of thing that was being done in the name of the Emperor. For all their differences, they all wanted the same thing: to be able to go home. Wherever that home may be. It’s funny how it was the people that were treated as the danger when it was the war they had little or nothing to do with that was preventing them from living the life they wanted to.

After Darkness was the winner of the Vogel’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript by an author under 35. Its list of previous winners is something to behold: Tim Winton, Kate Grenville, Gillian Mears and Andrew McGahan to name just a few. Having read this, it’s not hard to imagine Christine Piper sitting beside them.

[Kelsey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that focuses on the expatriate population in Australia during WWII. I liked the emphasis that one does not necessarily need to assimilate and can rather create ones own niche or community via shared camaraderie. It ultimately reflects on how easily the truth is distorted by nationalism, with the final overarching message (imo), being that it is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel feels like it was commissioned by vcaa specifically for the vce text list and I mean that as an insult.

[Lilyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

my initial dislike for this book came about from the fact that it was a school assigned read for during the holidays, because who wants to be forced to read? however as i continued i came to appreciate the story

ibaraki himself isn’t unlikable, yet his insecurity often left an anger in me as he could not go beyond his silence. his character, while not intense, served as a reality check to how silence and discretion was valued throughout the second world war, especially as a prisoner of war

where i think this book really shines is it’s secondary characters. johnny, stan, kayoko and sister benice all touched me deeply as their characters and individual stories with ibaraki served as a representation of change in the protagonist. johnnys initial anger with the doctor becoming kindness and acceptance, stan and his storyline with a devastating end, and the parallels in sister bernice’s relationship with ibaraki with the relationship between himself and kayoko were beautifully done.

where i think improvement could be made is in the writing itself, whilst the descriptions of the environment are beautiful i believe that the feelings of ibaraki could have been imbedded a little bit better without as much of a “i feel” or “i think” kinda of style

pipers story and the narrative of breaking one’s silence truly exceeded my initial expectations and thoughts from the beginning of the book, i believe this is definitely worth visiting :)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seem to be stuck on the theme of internment in literature. After reading ‘No friend but the mountains’, there is a huge difference between these two texts.

One is fiction (this one), one is written by a poet (Behrouz Boochani), one was typed as messages on a mobile phone (Behrouz Boochani’s), while the other was the written manuscript for a Doctorate of creative writing (Christine Piper).

The comparisons are meaningless and I only make them as I read these two books back to back.

This book is the story of Tomakazu Ibaraki, a Japanese medical physician, working in Broome and interned during World War 2.

Told in a non-linear narrative, Tomakazu’s motivation to leave Japan for Australia (Broome) is broken up with chapters from his time in Broome and alternating chapters from his time in the intern camp in Lovedale, South Australia.

Well researched and presented, this is a satisfying read.

The first book from the author and winner of The Vogel Literature Award 2014. Even shortlisted for 2015 Miles Franklin.

Looking forward to reading author Christine Piper’s next book - when published.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Darkness by Christine Piper is largely set in Australia in 1942, in an internment camp for Japanese, Germans and Italians during WWII after the bombing of Broome. It's told in first person, narrated by Japanese doctor, Tomakazu Ibaraki. Interspersed throughout are chapters from earlier periods of Ibaraki's life in Japan, and why he escaped a potentially illustrious career in his homeland to start a new life in Broome. It's told in an understated, formal manner in keeping with the character of the narrator.
This book is not a light book to read, but it is important. It delves into the secret history of Japanese war crimes and examines the culture that allowed those crimes to evolve. It deservedly won the Vogel Award in 2014 and was shortlisted for the 2015 Miles Franklin. I read it for book club and it incited much discussion. The author has also written about her research in this Calibre prize-winning essay: https://www.australianbookreview.com....

[Nadia King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up After Darkness by Christine Piper because I’m interested in the internment of ‘aliens’ in Australia during WWII. I was not prepared for the harrowing accounts of the protagonist’s involvement in Japan’s biological warfare in the late 1930s in China. Google Unit 731 if you want to know more about the atrocities committed and the justice which has still not been forthcoming. Although not a light read, this was highly readable.

[Rama]

Farewell Ibaraki. May we never meet again.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that suffers under its central premise – an emotionally cloistered character whose failure to connect encompasses not only those he contacts in the book, but those who read it.

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Usually, when it comes to history, particularly war history, we are only really interested in what happened to us, our country, who we consider our people. We always look at things from the way they impacted us. After Darkness shows another side to the story, to the history, of World War II.

Tomakazu Ibaraki is a Japanese doctor who moved to Australia before the war, to work at the Japanese hospital in Broome, trying to leave behind the demons of his past. He was accepted into the wider, diverse community and soon settled into life in Australia. But when Japan joined the war, soon all Japanese people were rounded up and interned in camps, labelled as ‘aliens’ and highly mistrusted by the Australian people – even though many of them were Australian-born and had never set foot in Japan. Others had lived in Australia so long that they considered it, and not Japan, their homes. Others were like the doctor, working to make their way in the world. Some of their ties to Japan were strong, some were not. But they were all people who just wanted to go home.

The different attitudes presented by the characters to the war and to the country that had housed them were interesting. Many of the interns alliances still fell with Japan but others, like the doctor, were conflicted. After living in a country side by side with not only Australians but other nationalities too, how can you rejoice their downfall at the hands of your people? But some of them did, and as an Australian this can be hard to comprehend. That being said, it must have been equally as difficult to have people turn against you simply because you were Japanese in a country at war with Japan. War does not make things easy on anyone and you don’t have to be on the front line to experience that in different ways. After Darkness shows us this.

After Darkness is beautifully written and moving. I appreciated the insight I gained to another part of the war, which happened here in my own backyard, that I knew nothing about and also to another point of view I had never consider. We are shown in alternating perspectives the life Ibaraki lived back in Japan and his time in the internment camp and we slowly grow to understand what brought him to Australia in the first place. He struggles with what he left behind and also how it has influenced his medical practice in Australia, both in and out of the camp. What has left him cold and distant from the patients he treats? The story comes full circle at the end of the book and there is a fantastic sense of closure to this book, without a guaranteed happy ending. While some of the characterization was not as strong as I felt it could be, this book is well worth a read. Fictional, but still feels very real. A solid four stars.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my blog for more reviews: www.monkeysbooks.wordpress.com

Dr Ibaraki is a Japanese doctor who finds himself in an internment camp in South Australia during WWII in the 1940s. As a Japanese citizen on Australian soil in WWII, he is considered an enemy of the state and is unceremoniously thrown into the camp. How he got there and why he is so far from his homeland is gradually revealed, by Piper, like the peeling back of layers of an onion. We learn about his former life as a promising researcher in Japan, his beautiful wife, his recent move to Australia to work a remote town and his life in the internment camp. But what set off this unusual chain of events that saw him leave his homeland for Australia remains mysterious right until the very end.

This book stretches across three different time periods and Piper does an extraordinary job of switching back and forth between the time periods, while still maintaining mystery and continuity. Chapter by chapter, more and more is revealed about Dr Ibaraki's character, relationships and memories. By the end we fully understand how his painful memories and personal charateristics have brought him to the present day. But the book is so much more than this. Interwoven into Dr Ibaraki's story are the themes of Japanese culture, racism, war and what it means to be a "good" doctor. Being a doctor myself, I found all the medical dilemmas faced by Dr Ibaraki and his reactions to them to be very realistic. Piper explores all these themes with sensitivity and understanding. I highly recommend this book and it is more than deserving to be the winner of the 2014 The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award.

[The Bookshop Umina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“After Darkness” by Christine Piper is a debut historical novel that takes us back to 1942, war time in Australia and a time when people of Japanese, German and Italian heritage where being imprisoned as enemy aliens. The novel follows a Japanese doctor, Tomakazu Ibaraki who was working in a Japanese hospital in Broome when war broke out. Ibaraki is sent to an internment camp in South Australia and it is here we see the diversity of stories behind the Japanese who were held there.

The novel adds Ibaraki’s back story with flashbacks going back to his life and work in Japan during the 1930s. These sections are injected with separate chapters to take us through the sections of his earlier life, meeting the wife he has left behind in Japan, the rest of his family and the work he has been doing there that has resulted in his choice to travel all the way to Australia. The flashbacks are well handled and clearly delineated so that the reader goes along easily with the story.

The sections set in the camp are fascinating, particularly those dealing with the internal politics of the camps and the difficulties faced by those of mixed race, some of whom had lived in Australia all their lives.

[MichelleG · Rating 3 out of 5]

“After Darkness” by Christine Piper is a historical novel set in 1942. WWII war time internment camps are in effect in Australia for enemy aliens for people of Japanese, German and Italian heritage. The book follows a Japanese doctor, Tomakazu Ibaraki who was working in a Japanese hospital in Broome when war broke out. Tomakazu is sent to an internment camp in South Australia, and it is here we learn more of his back story with flashbacks going back to his life and work in Japan during the 1930s.

These sections are injected with separate sections of his earlier life - meeting his wife, who he has left behind in Japan. It goes through the rest of his family, and the work he has been doing there, and the choices he makes which leads him to travel all the way to Australia. The flashbacks are clearly delineated and goes along easily with the story.

The sections set in the camp are very interesting - the diversity of stories behind the Japanese who were held there, the internal politics of the camps, and the difficulties faced by those of mixed race/ heritage... some had been in Australia all their lives.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and seldom told story that focuses on the experiences of a Japanese doctor interned in Australia at the beginning of the war with Japan. The hero of the story is afraid to express his true feelings and his behaviour means his marriage collapses and he sails off to Broome to start a new life.

The story focuses on his life in the camp but flashes back to his life in Japan and in Broome. The complexity of being Japanese in Japan, in Australia and in the camp is sympathetically stated. The difficulties of his fellow inmates to adapt to their internment, especially those born in Australia, was a highlight for me.

Some beautiful writing at times, although not as poetic as "When the Emperor was Divine".

Another reminder that war does not benefit anyone but a few business men and politicians.

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an enjoyable book, very well written and nicely informative about an aspect of World War 2 that I knew very little about. The main character is a Japanese national who happens to be working in Broome when Japan joins the War. As such he is placed in a POW camp. I was intrigued by the back stories of the others who were imprisoned with him including many who had never even been to Japan but happened to have a parent who was born there. When I started the book I thought it would not interest me much, bythe middle I was totally hooked and by the end I felt I had to give it four stars for its readability and the fact that I learned so much.

[Mattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an epic novel, a symphony, a violin concert if it were music.
I thought Christine is almost a Japanese composer with very controlled story lines. A Japanese music.
Love her short sentences yet they vividly describe scenes and people.
Each chapter is a movement with appropriate composition in whole , carrying reader's emotions right through to the end.
Love the ending. Dr. Ibaraki finally will be freed from his demons. Yes, it is After Darkness.
Simple but brilliantly written.
Am already looking for her next work. A new author to watch.

[Karen Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is set across Broome, Loveday in South Australia, and Tokyo over a span of years before and during WWII. Christine Piper has a sound understanding of this historical and social context and helps readers to visualise this setting at all points in the story. The physical landscape is also treated with care, again setting a clear stage for readers.

It was as an easy read and mostly engaging, but as a whole the text felt shallow. Characters had some depth and complexity, but were written in such a manner that it seemed like they tended to announce their feelings and epiphanies to the reader, rather than these ideas being presented and gradually revealed in more nuanced ways. Dr Ibaraki is the central figure of the texts and begins as a feckless and uncommunicative protagonist, suppressed by a desire to save face and avoid conflict. His demeanour and attitudes are frustrating to read for the first half of the novel, and deliberately so. He undergoes the expected changes over his years in Australia, however these changes were sudden and appeared dramatically in behaviours that were significantly out of step with how Ibaraki had chosen to conduct himself the day before.

The other characters in the novel such as Mayor Mori and Johnny were caricature-like and seemed to exist only as a personality type to which Ibaraki could respond. They either lacked depth or their changes were sudden and their relationship with Ibaraki inexplicably went from distant to unshakeable closeness in moments. Sister Bernice carried more weight and complexity but I found that her story thread petered out before she could take on a significant presence in the story.

There are many things to praise and value in After Darkness and I'm sure few people could write a better novel, especially on debut. Having said that, I would not recommend it to potential readers.