For her debut novel, screenwriter Alli Parker draws on her own fascinating family history, in a deeply earnest and emotional novel.
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Gordon, a newly enlisted young man from rural Victoria, sets off for Japan with the post-war occupation troops. He’s disappointed to think that he will see no action, but he believes the Japanese are still keen for confrontations with Australians, so there will be opportunities for fights.
When he arrives, he is shocked and confused by the destruction of the country, and more than a little bewildered by the humanity of the Japanese. There he meets Cherry, working as a domestic in the camp, a withdrawn yet resilient survivor of Hiroshima. Cherry is naturally terrified of the ex-enemy soldiers but must work in an economy devastated by the war. Over time, a tentative friendship blossoms into something deeper and longer lasting, and despite all of the obstacles from the authorities and the concerns of their respective families, they marry.
Their marriage is a somewhat fraught process, but nothing is as difficult as their discovery of the implications of the White Australia Policy, which prevents Gordon bringing his new bride back home. He returns to Australia, leaving a pregnant Cherry with her family and fights to convince his family of his choice of bride as well as the deeply xenophobic government.
At The Foot of The Cherry Tree is a lovely, gentle novel that spans seven years; years which could have broken them apart and yet served not only to deepen their love and commitment to each other but changed the course of Australian history.
Reviewed by Lesley West
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alli Parker is a Japanese-Australian author and screenwriter, with a background in script editing and script co-ordinating. She lives on the stolen land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.
In 2023, her debut historical fiction novel, At The Foot of The Cherry Tree, will be published by HarperCollins Australia, a novelisation of the true story of Australia’s first Japanese war bride and Alli’s grandmother. She co-wrote episodes of crime drama series Jack Irish, romantic thriller series Secret Bridesmaids’ Business and mystery telemovie series Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries.
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