<i>The winner of</i> The Australian/<i>Vogel's Literary Award 2014</i><br/><br/>It is early 1942 and Australia is in the midst of war.<br/><br/>While working at a Japanese hospital in the pearling port of Broome, Dr Ibaraki is arrested as an enemy alien and sent to Loveday internment camp in a remote corner of South Australia. There, he learns to live among a group of men who are divided by culture and allegiance. As tensions at the isolated camp escalate, the doctor's long - held beliefs are thrown into question and he is forced to confront his dark past: the promise he made in Japan and its devastating consequences.<br/><br/>'Piper draws us deeper and deeper into the compelling story of Tomakazu Ibaraki, a man whose strengths - discretion, honour and loyalty - also lie at the heart of his personal tragedy.' - Danielle Wood, winner of the <i>The Australian</i>/Vogel's Literary Award in 2002; Vogel's judge<br/><br/>'<i>After Darkness</i> is about friendships that transcend cliched notions of mateship. It's also about a man silenced by a promise ... a haunting novel that lingers in a most unsettling way.' - Fiona Stager, bookseller, Avid Reader; Vogel's judge<br/><br/>'A brave, profound meditation on identity, trauma, loss and courage ... A novel that demands its place alongside Richard Flanagan's <i>The Narrow Road to the Deep North</i> and Mark Dapin's <i>Spirit House</i>.' - Stephen Romei, literary editor, <i>The Australian</i>; Vogel's judge<br/><br/>