I read this book for uni, it's not something I would normally go for. Australian literature and history, war... it's not my thing. Quite taken aback by how engaging I found it, sucked me in and broke my heart.

Malouf tells the tale of two men, living separate lives, from childhood to old age in his usual magnificent prose. The two men are Digger and Vic who were both born into poverty but Vic is raised from an early age by a well to do family. Their stories converge when both men become prisoners of war of the Japanese and struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of the building of the Burma railroad. Both men survived because of the bond they formed, owing their lives to each other, and even though they both went their separate ways after the war the book revolves around this bond. Much of the story is told through mostly the psychological effect events had on each of them and didn't dwell on the events themself and told about their actions that were often counter to their actual feelings and thoughts. David Malouf always seems to tell his stories in very unique ways that make his books fascinating reads.

This deliberate Australian take on World War II and its effects is half great and half mediocre, and you always know when it's one and when it's the other.

Beautiful, lyrical writing as you would expect from David Malouf. A meditation on friendship over time and the quiet power of relationships that are unusual but sustaining. We had very interesting discussions over the way different men dealt with war and about the style of writing and the nature of some of the characters.

Book Clubs rated it:

Friday 9am: 8/8/8/7/8
Friday 10:30am: 9.5/7.5/9/8.5/9/5/8
Monday 6pm: 7/6/6/6/8/8/8
Monday 7:30pm: 9/8/5/7/7/8/7.5/8

High 4. Malouf has written a sublime portrayal of lives whose fates become irreversibly intertwined when thrown together under extreme situations – in this case survival as POWs in a Japanese camp during the Second World War. The novel centres on the difficult relationship which draws Vic Curran and Digger Keen together as they struggle to overcome their brutal treatment at the hands of their wartime foes. The former outwardly achieves success as a ruthless businessman, and is an individual whose relationships are defined by how he can use their naivety and loyalty for his own benefit, but whose inner emptiness reveals a scarred soul. The latter is an apologist for the former’s excesses, with unwavering loyalty and boundless grace. The author is an expert at peeling away the psychological layers of his characters, and thereby revealing the depths of their uncertainty and emotional attachment. The cast of secondary characters are equally well-sketched, and this novel fully demonstrates it’s creator’s skills.

Una novela que es la historia de vida de Digger y Vic. Historias humanas que van desde la Guerra Mundial en un campo de prisioneros japonés en Asia a la vida diaria en su Australia natal durante la edad adulta. Bien escrito, aunque debo decir que no me ha enganchado. La primera mitad del libro me ha gustado mucho más que la segunda.

Well written but got tired of the constant time shifting---and there often seemed to be too many descriptive words---like 100 where 30-50 would be ideal.
6.5/10

Another literary near-masterpiece from Malouf. I just fell right into the story from the fist page. Arguably, there is a sense everything happens at some remove from the reader, as if the author knows this is not only fictional, but just as easily ignored with the result that nothing in the world would change even so. Malouf's characters are grandly written, if simple and all too normal they are as human beings. Historical, as in "uses history" but not historical fiction at all. One can know nothing of history and still get immersed in the narrative, it is that well crafted. I left feeling there was more to tell, though maybe that was Malouf's intention.

A beautifully written novel of disparate characters Vic and Digger growing up separately around Sydney, meeting as Japanese POWs and staying in touch through some tough times in their post-war lives. This is so human and moving with superbly real protagonists and wonderful period detail. A great Australian story, totally convincing

Here is a look at history from down-under. Australia's role in the war and how it affected the country is a part of this book. Of course it's about all of us

It's wonderful to encounter a new-to-me author. I particularly enjoyed his use of language and the sentence construction. And, I found the story intriguing. I look forward to reading more of his novels, especially because a number of reviewers say is it not his best.

The characters were weird and not believable, which was distracting and made it very hard to read.