Easter at Tobruk

In Easter at Tobruk Christianity and war collide in an Australian context. In this context the novel explores changing values in our society since the Second World War. The narrative focuses on two Easters, that of 1941 when Australian troops entered Tobruk in North Africa, and another fifty years later. The events leading up to and including the Easter battle are historically accurate, but all the characters are fictitious. 'An enticing work peppered with a glistening sense of magic realism, O'Sullivan's novel paints lush, dimensional scenes with literary brushstrokes. Living, breathing characters crafted by archetypal essences of poet, priest, good mother and old soldier propel a storyline supported by the strong themes of war, freedom, mateship and a kind of reconciliation that transcends time and place. Easter in Tobruk quite literally bends the passage of time.' - IP Picks 2006 Judges' Report