RELEASED FEBRUARY 2008
From the book’s Foreword
“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.
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412 pages, 118,000 words
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February 20th 2008
John Bell has chose Townsville to launch PAYBACK, his first novel, on Wednesday February 20th. Many Australians enjoy an affinity and fascination with New Guinea. Very often this affinity has come about due to it being their birthplace, their parents or grandparents living there, or sent there during the war years, or through business associations with the country. This affinity has had somewhat of a resurgence in recent years with so many Australians walking the Kokoda Track almost as a pilgrimage. John Bell was born in Kavieng, New Ireland and as such his affinity with New Guinea is deep rooted.
As with many of us, as he’s grown older he has been drawn more and more to further investigating and learning of his roots. It is now in retirement that he has been able to dedicate time and passion to that of research and a number of visits back to New Guinea in order to, as he says “to tell a story that I’ve wanted to tell. A story of what I’ve always regarded as my homeland. A story of life there, of what the country was, and for the most part, still is like, and what happened. I wanted to make it interesting and readable, yet be generally factual. So, I’ve written a novel. Creating a fictional family that went to Kavieng in 1909. The story traces their lives until 1945, and is based loosely around my forebears.”
John Bell is now a north Queenslander, having lived most of his adult life in the Whitsundays, however, it was in Townsville where his legal career began. PAYBACK is his first novel, with two more ready to follow. The immediate sequel NIGHTMARE, and a prequel yet to be titled.
Painting by Carol Bell of the choir that sang on the night.
Photos from the Townsville Payback Book Launch.
April 18th 2008
Stuart Bell, Lincoln Bell, Sharyn Bell, Lachlan Goddard, Carol Bell, Bruce Goddard, Jacquie Goddard, Lucie Bell and John Bell. |
