Payback / by John Bell

“Payback is a remarkable book… much more than a fictional saga… a thinly disguised story of the author’s own family… The family history is turned into a sprawling, gripping narrative of derring-do, adventure, romance, violence, betrayal and courage… an authentic, detailed description of a lifestyle that has gone forever… Payback is a compelling tour-de-force made all the more remarkable because of its factual basis. I commend it to you without reservation.” The Story Payback weaves the lives of two fictional families, whose blood feud invokes the ancient New Guinea tribal code of payback. Payback traces the lives and loves of four Australian brothers in the turbulent years between the two World Wars, their involvement in timber and gold, copra and crocodiles, airlines and shipping. The screams of their sister crushed in the jaws of a huge crocodile, marriage into a Chinese family, big business, elopement, bureaucracy, the impact of the destruction of colonialism, all combine to weave a complex and emotional web that takes each character on a path of self discovery. They are forced to come to terms with their environment, themselves and the outside world as their piece of paradise is torn apart when World War II comes to Kavieng, and becomes personal. Payback illustrates the ephemeral satisfaction of revenge and the lasting sadness of loss.--Back cover.