Quotes
“…some who had been our friends were now treated as aliens” (p1)
“…my mother grew to hate Broome” (p2)
“…she did not have red dirt, mangroves or pearls in her blood.” (about Ida Penrose, p2)
“She wanted coolness, calmness, greenness. She wanted England.” (p3)
“Ida, you want me to be a verandah pearler.” (Michael to Ida, p4)
“she seemed to develop the snobberies and prejudices of a colonial wife” (p5)
“she recoiled from the racial mix of Broome.” (p5)
“She did understand what it is to love someone different from yourself.” (Hart about Ida, p6)
“In a place like Broome, nobody much cared.” (p7)
“Mitsy represented a new generation.” (p8)
“…it was Mitsy’s Japaneseness that my mother feared.” (p8)
“Mitsy saved me from myself.” (p9)
“I fell in love with Mitsy in the darkness of the tin-walled cinema in Sheba Lane” (p11)
“…born in sin…” (referring to Bernadette, p14)
“which had been set aside unofficially for Aborigines and Islanders.” (p17)
“She looked too fine for the streets of Broome, a beautiful woman who should never have left London.” (about Ida, p19)
“You could say that this is a story about friendship, and the betrayal of friendship, and friendships lost and regained.” (p21)
“Friendship is a slippery notion.” (p21)
“We lose friends as we change and our friends don’t, or as we form other alliances, or as we betray our friends or are ourselves betrayed.” (p21)
“Jamie was competitive. In almost everything you could name, Jamie was better than me…We were opposites.” (p23)
“…breed a superior Australian type.” (Mr. Kilian, p27)
“…the right kind of people…” (Mr. Kilian, p27)
“Good English stock.” (Mr. Kilian, p27)
“The Japs have been spying on us for years.” (Mr. Kilian, p28)
“I seemed to become someone unlike my true self.” (Hart, p30)
“there was also talk of war in the Pacific” (p33)
“That pig iron we’re selling to the Japs – it’s going to come back to us as bullets and bombs. You mark my words.” (p34)
“That’s what happens between friends. You rub too closely sometimes and the friction ignites the hidden grievances.” (p35)
“If Japan joined the war, we’d be on opposite sides.” (p37)
“Alice took charge.” (p46)
“It was Alice who saw me through.” (p57)
“I had come to take her for granted….Now I took notice of her.” (Hart talking about Alice, p58)
“I’m in love with her.” (Hart about Mitsy, p59)
“I envied him, I was jealous, I pitied myself. (Hart talking about Jamie, p61)
“force his recalcitrant black stockmen to dress in women’s clothing and do women’s work”…”tough on blacks”…”dock their wages”…”chain them down on a corrugated iron roof”…”stir the loose flour, tea and sugar together in one billy can on ration day”…”lay on black velvet in the visitors’ quarters”…”horsewhip”…”raise his voice” (p70)
“Your Abo is unreliable…He’ll collaborate.” (Morrissey, p76)
“The Abos are going to be a liability if the Japs land.” (Morrissey, p77)
“…if the Abos cause trouble we can shoot them, no questions asked.” (Lester Webb, p78)
“The town was gearing up for a war in the Pacific. There was war talk wherever we cared to listen.” (p80)
“We’re her friends, but it must seem as if we’re her enemies.” (p88)
“…she wasn’t even born in Japan.” (Hart about Mitsy, p88)
“That’s not Derby talking.” (Michael, p98)
“Alice was in one of the war zones…we feared for her life.” (p104)
“…the Japanese were easily identifiable as aliens.” (p105)
“He was worried about Sadako and Mitsy, fed by his permanent guilt about Zeke.” (Hart about Michael, p107)
“But the fact of internment did isolate the Japanese of Broome. They were marked people now, aliens in our midst.” (p113)
“People spit on us in the street…They proposition us as if we were prostitutes.” (p114)
“Waiting for news of a loved one…It’s a condition encouraged by the unreality of war.” (p121)
“…we listened to the Department of Information broadcast.” (p123)
“…the hatred poured from the wireless night after night.” (p124)
“…Mitsy’s and Sadako’s presence in the house became a confusing element in my relationships with them.” (p124)
“Mitsy and Sadako began to look less benign.” (p125)
“How can you love and hate someone at the same time?” (Hart, p126)
“We are not ourselves, or are the worst of ourselves…” (Hart, p126)
“I felt a spurt of burning tears, and said to Mitsy, ‘You bitch’.” (Hart, p130)
“I’m trying now to step into Mitsy’s skin.” (Hart, p130)
“Suddenly the war was large and very real.” (p141)
“I could let him die.” (Hart about Jamie, p143)
“On 4 March 1942 I wrote: We fear invasion. In fact, for days after the air raid we lived on a knife-edge, misinterpreting every sign.” (p146)
“Alice was just skin and bones when the Americans found her.” (p148)
“You could say that Mitsy and I enjoy a kind of friendship now. We’d started off as friends, were lovers for a while and then there was hate and indifference. Now friendship has replaced all of that, but a friendship that can’t offer or ask too much.” (Hart, p150)
“It won’t be easy. We may not make it.” (Hart about his relationship with Mitsy, p151)
“…some who had been our friends were now treated as aliens” (p1)
“…my mother grew to hate Broome” (p2)
“…she did not have red dirt, mangroves or pearls in her blood.” (about Ida Penrose, p2)
“She wanted coolness, calmness, greenness. She wanted England.” (p3)
“Ida, you want me to be a verandah pearler.” (Michael to Ida, p4)
“she seemed to develop the snobberies and prejudices of a colonial wife” (p5)
“she recoiled from the racial mix of Broome.” (p5)
“She did understand what it is to love someone different from yourself.” (Hart about Ida, p6)
“In a place like Broome, nobody much cared.” (p7)
“Mitsy represented a new generation.” (p8)
“…it was Mitsy’s Japaneseness that my mother feared.” (p8)
“Mitsy saved me from myself.” (p9)
“I fell in love with Mitsy in the darkness of the tin-walled cinema in Sheba Lane” (p11)
“…born in sin…” (referring to Bernadette, p14)
“which had been set aside unofficially for Aborigines and Islanders.” (p17)
“She looked too fine for the streets of Broome, a beautiful woman who should never have left London.” (about Ida, p19)
“You could say that this is a story about friendship, and the betrayal of friendship, and friendships lost and regained.” (p21)
“Friendship is a slippery notion.” (p21)
“We lose friends as we change and our friends don’t, or as we form other alliances, or as we betray our friends or are ourselves betrayed.” (p21)
“Jamie was competitive. In almost everything you could name, Jamie was better than me…We were opposites.” (p23)
“…breed a superior Australian type.” (Mr. Kilian, p27)
“…the right kind of people…” (Mr. Kilian, p27)
“Good English stock.” (Mr. Kilian, p27)
“The Japs have been spying on us for years.” (Mr. Kilian, p28)
“I seemed to become someone unlike my true self.” (Hart, p30)
“there was also talk of war in the Pacific” (p33)
“That pig iron we’re selling to the Japs – it’s going to come back to us as bullets and bombs. You mark my words.” (p34)
“That’s what happens between friends. You rub too closely sometimes and the friction ignites the hidden grievances.” (p35)
“If Japan joined the war, we’d be on opposite sides.” (p37)
“Alice took charge.” (p46)
“It was Alice who saw me through.” (p57)
“I had come to take her for granted….Now I took notice of her.” (Hart talking about Alice, p58)
“I’m in love with her.” (Hart about Mitsy, p59)
“I envied him, I was jealous, I pitied myself. (Hart talking about Jamie, p61)
“force his recalcitrant black stockmen to dress in women’s clothing and do women’s work”…”tough on blacks”…”dock their wages”…”chain them down on a corrugated iron roof”…”stir the loose flour, tea and sugar together in one billy can on ration day”…”lay on black velvet in the visitors’ quarters”…”horsewhip”…”raise his voice” (p70)
“Your Abo is unreliable…He’ll collaborate.” (Morrissey, p76)
“The Abos are going to be a liability if the Japs land.” (Morrissey, p77)
“…if the Abos cause trouble we can shoot them, no questions asked.” (Lester Webb, p78)
“The town was gearing up for a war in the Pacific. There was war talk wherever we cared to listen.” (p80)
“We’re her friends, but it must seem as if we’re her enemies.” (p88)
“…she wasn’t even born in Japan.” (Hart about Mitsy, p88)
“That’s not Derby talking.” (Michael, p98)
“Alice was in one of the war zones…we feared for her life.” (p104)
“…the Japanese were easily identifiable as aliens.” (p105)
“He was worried about Sadako and Mitsy, fed by his permanent guilt about Zeke.” (Hart about Michael, p107)
“But the fact of internment did isolate the Japanese of Broome. They were marked people now, aliens in our midst.” (p113)
“People spit on us in the street…They proposition us as if we were prostitutes.” (p114)
“Waiting for news of a loved one…It’s a condition encouraged by the unreality of war.” (p121)
“…we listened to the Department of Information broadcast.” (p123)
“…the hatred poured from the wireless night after night.” (p124)
“…Mitsy’s and Sadako’s presence in the house became a confusing element in my relationships with them.” (p124)
“Mitsy and Sadako began to look less benign.” (p125)
“How can you love and hate someone at the same time?” (Hart, p126)
“We are not ourselves, or are the worst of ourselves…” (Hart, p126)
“I felt a spurt of burning tears, and said to Mitsy, ‘You bitch’.” (Hart, p130)
“I’m trying now to step into Mitsy’s skin.” (Hart, p130)
“Suddenly the war was large and very real.” (p141)
“I could let him die.” (Hart about Jamie, p143)
“On 4 March 1942 I wrote: We fear invasion. In fact, for days after the air raid we lived on a knife-edge, misinterpreting every sign.” (p146)
“Alice was just skin and bones when the Americans found her.” (p148)
“You could say that Mitsy and I enjoy a kind of friendship now. We’d started off as friends, were lovers for a while and then there was hate and indifference. Now friendship has replaced all of that, but a friendship that can’t offer or ask too much.” (Hart, p150)
“It won’t be easy. We may not make it.” (Hart about his relationship with Mitsy, p151)