Beyond the Ashes

Beyond the Ashes is an Australian novel set in the period when young people went on safari tours to the inland and climbed Ayers Rock. Turtle conservation and watching on the east coast of Australia was just beginning. The themes of the novel are forgiveness and love and reveal how issues in the past can dramatically affect the present when tragedy strikes. It is the story of a tragic road accident and a family's deterioration when communication between them fails and lack of forgiveness is allowed to fester. It is the story of a young woman's journey to regain her father's love and his journey to finally lay to rest his past and find life 'beyond the ashes' It is also a story of faith and young marine biologist Martin Kelso's certainty that this family can be restored. It is Kate and Daniel's story. It is Raelene and Martin's story. It is a story of hope. Many different people with their unique stories become entwined on the journey. From the red heart of Australia's centre to the blue of the Pacific Ocean and beaches on the east coast, no location can by itself heal the pain of human brokenness. This is a fiction story and the characters and events are not based on any person or historical event. The east coast beach towns and scenes all have fictitious names. Only the places, towns in the centre, and Ularu (then known as Ayers Rock) have retained their names, but with the 1970s atmosphere. Beyond the Ashes is a journey of the heart as much as it experiences a shifting of physical locations.