The Custodians

In the scarred landscape of contemporary Australia, eight childhood friends seek their individual destinies: Alex, ambitious but melancholy; Cleve, snatched by the state from his Aboriginal parents; Danny, his twin brother, who has spent more of his life in custody than free; Elspeth, the heiress seeking enlightenment; Jane, passionately committed to her art; Josie, dedicated to doing good; Wendy, in search of fun; and Ziggy, the brilliant actor. These are the custodians, but of what, and of whom?

From the 1950s through the 1980s; from the outback to the heights of Manhattan's art world to the London stage; from the tropical Queensland to Mao's China. . . such is the scope of The Custodians. It is at once a startling and an often comical novel about friendship, love, and betrayal; and an astounding story of struggle and history - a history which these eight characters must both embrace and transcend if they are to find reconciliation with the land to which they belong, but which does not belong to them.

Author: Nicholas Jose

Publisher: Picador

Released Date: 1997

ISBN: 9780330360449