we only need to tease out the first stray thread, such as the lingering wake left by a white ship forging through grey light to where a thousand seabirds disappear from the collapsing sky . . . and we've begun

It is 1954, but not the same way the history books would have it. Events and characters swirl in a vortex of fragments and chance connections.

Brisbane celebrates the young Queen Elizabeth II's arrival on her first royal tour of the commonwealth. Meanwhile the future is being shaped behind closed doors, laying the foundations for the 21st century...

A magisterial novel resonant with contemporary concerns, by one of Australia's foremost authors writing at the height of his ambition.