The Custodians — Nicholas Jose

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.