The Severed Cord

The Severed Cord is a story about love, loss and redemption. As the world turns to war in 1914, three brothers and an aboriginal stockman have a decision to make - join the conflict or remain within their rural idyll. When the eldest enlists, the remaining brothers are bound to follow and Jimmy, the aboriginal stockman is coerced into joining them in Palestine, where they battle to survive, eventually returning to Australia, their lives forever changed. In Palestine, Jimmy assumes the role of protector and is forced to negotiate a world where prejudice is suspended only to be replaced by the horrors of war, a conflict that leads to the most profound betrayal and loss. Interwoven with Jimmy's story are the modern-day exploits of the grandson of one of the brothers. Harry is an immature man beset by self-doubt and self-recrimination, avoiding responsibility for his actions and any of his relationships, until a chance meeting with Anika leads, at last, to love, to purpose and the genesis of understanding about his life. From a prosperous pre-war Australia, to a war-torn 1917 Palestine and from the modern-day shores of Israel to the water saturated deltas of Bangladesh, The Severed Cord is a tale of adventure and misadventure that delves into the genesis of intergenerational trauma, a phenomenon that potentially binds us all to the negativity of the past, stalling the creation of a positive future. The Severed Cord is the eagerly awaited sequel to The Veiled Thread, though it can be read as a standalone story.