The Umbrella Club
by David Brooks

During World War 1 a friendship is forged on the battlefields of France between Axel and Edward, two young Englishmen. There, inspired by barrage balloons, they develop a mutual fascination that will change the course of their lives.

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Overview

After the war, as Axel’s passion for flight and freedom consumes him, he sets off to balloon across the highlands of New Albion, a largely unexplored island north of Australia.

When he fails to return, Edward travels to the island to solve the mystery of his friend’s disappearance and retrace his final journey. What he finds there will haunt him for the rest of his life.

The Umbrella Club is a darkly compelling adventure into the depths of the human soul and to the frontiers of colonial exploration. In the aftermath of war, when there is nothing left to fear, sometimes the only possibility for recovery is flight.

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Awards

Reviews

The Sydney Morning Herald

‘Idea and shadow, substance and illusion play subtle roles in this intriguing mixture of philosophical fable and adventure yarn.’

The Weekend Australian

‘... the visual immediacy of the novel’s language drives the story forward …’

The Advertiser

‘... this well paced novel is suspenseful and evocative, filled with the magical hush of balloon flight, replete with mysteries and poignant with restrained accounts of terminal illness and the aftermath of war.’

David Brooks

is the author of five previous collections of poetry and several novels and works of short fiction. His The Book of Sei (1985) was heralded as the most impressive debut in Australian short fiction since Peter Carey’s. His novel The Fern Tattoo (UQP, 2007) was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. The Sydney Morning Herald called his collection of poetry, The Balcony (UQP, 2008), ‘an electric performance’. Until 2013 he taught Australian Literature at The University of Sydney. In recent years he has devoted his writing increasingly to animal advocacy. He lives with rescued sheep in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. In 2014 he was awarded a 2015/16 Australia Council Fellowship for services to Australian and international literature.