The Old Balmain House

Sophie vanished - where did she go? For 100 years nobody knows. A photo of 8 year old Sophie and an antique perfume bottle are found in the fireplace of an old house. The story of a Balmain family over 170 years. Finally they uncover what happened. Set around beautiful Sydney Harbour this is a story of this place and its people, an imagined history from early Australia to the present day Who was Sophie and what happened to her? On buying an old weatherboard house in Balmain, Sydney, we discover her photo, dated 1900-1908, long hidden, along with a small perfume bottle in an old fireplace. Then we discover that Sophie disappeared with a childhood friend in 1908 and was never seem again, leaving a trail of sadness through generations of her family. This book tracks the journey of the discovery of Sophie and her family, from their first arrival in Sydney, over five generations of the family, until the mystery is finally laid to rest. It is a story of loss and grief, mixed with joy, which passes through the successive generations of a family. The way the family deals with unresolved tragedy and finally the way their love transcends time is the story from which the real Sophie emerges. Graham Wilson, the author, lived in the house in Balmain around which this story is based for seven years, before moving to Millers Point. This is his first novel. Graham has previously written a family memoir, "Children of Arnhem's Kaleidoscope" which describes his childhood, growing up in a aboriginal community in Western Arnhem Land. This is also available from this site.
About the Author: Graham Wilson lives in Sydney Australia. He has completed and published nine separate books, and also a range of combined novel box sets. They comprise two series, 1. The Old Balmain House Series 2. The Crocodile Spirit Dreaming Series along with a family memoir. Children of Arnhem's Kaleidoscope The first series starts with a novel called The Old Balmain House, based on an old a weatherboard cottage in Sydney where the author lived. Here a photo was discovered of a small girl who lived and died about 100 years ago. The book imagines the story of her life and family, based in the real Balmain, an early inner Sydney suburb, with it's locations and and historical events providing part of the story background. The second novel in this series, Lizzie's Tale builds on The Old Balmain House setting, It is the story of a working class teenage girl who lives in this same house in the 1950s and 1960s, It tells of how, when she becomes pregnant she is determined not to surrender her baby for adoption, and of her struggle to survive in this unforgiving society. The third novel in this series, Devil's Choice, follows the next generation of the family in Lizzie's Tale. Lizzie's daughter is faced with the awful choice of whether to seek the help of one of her mother's rapists' in trying to save the life of her own daughter who is inflicted with an incurable disease. The Crocodile Spirit Dreaming Series is an Outback Noir series of five novels based in remote Australia telling the horror story of a backpacker and a dangerous man, from whom she finally escapes but is unable to escape the consequences of her actions. The book, Children of Arnhem's Kaleidoscope, is the story of the author's own life. It tells of his childhood in an aboriginal community in remote Arnhem Land, in Australia's Northern Territory, one of its last frontiers. It tells of the people, danger and beauty of this place, and of its transformation over the last half century with the coming of aboriginal rights and the discovery or uranium. It also tells of his surviving an attack by a large crocodile and of his work over two decades in the outback of the NT. In his non writing life Graham is a veterinarian who work in wildlife conservation and for rural landholders. He lived a large part of his life in the Northern Territory and his books reflect this experience.