In these times of isolation and disconnection, love is still the universal healer... and where that love comes from may surprise us.

When his father died, David Mulkerin gave up teaching in Sydney to come home and run the family farm in Western NSW. He is driven by personal demons and family tragedy to see it through, despite his love of teaching and the ongoing drought and debt.

When David meets the new local doctor Martin James, there is a meeting of minds and dark pasts. Martin is intrigued by David’s closed demeanour and makes an effort to reach him. They strike up a friendship, able to understand the pain in each other’s pasts. When David discovers that Martin is gay, he feels duped and betrayed, but the revelation forces him to confront what it means to love someone and how sometimes we don’t get to choose.

Alicia Thompson grew up on a farm in the Hunter Valley. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from UTS, and has worked as a bookkeeper, photographer, editor, adventure tour leader in the Middle East and China, business analyst, writing teacher and general herder of cats. Her published work includes numerous book reviews, travel articles and short stories. She lives and works in Sydney. 

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