The children were crying and Cesar felt as though his heart had been cleaved in his chest. he was responsible for this. He had hesitated when Helena had urged him to action. He had risked everything. And he had lost it all.
‘I am so sorry, my darlings,’ Cesar said hoarsely. ‘I am so terribly sorry for all of this.’
Timor, 1975. Cesar da Silva tries to flee the chaos and devastation of the Indonesian occupation, and take his wife and three daughters to safety. Distraught when he is separated from his wife and two of the girls, and believing them dead, he makes the heart wrenching decision to leave with his remaining daughter, Ana. Eventually, the pair arrive in Australia.
In 1997 Australian journalist Abby is determined to visit Timor and show the world the terrible suffering of the Timorese people. Her quest, along with her photographer friend David, takes her into horrifying danger. When their paths cross those of Ana da Silva, the story of Cesar and his family is gradually revealed.
The Devil’s Tears is a confronting, absorbing story of the human suffering in Timor during its occupation. It is also a tale of the determination that enables people to live through adversity, and to fight for change.
Finely crafted.
The Devil’s Tears, by Steven Horne
Macmillan, 2010
This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.