Scenes from the Back of Beyond

Set at the end of the 1950s, Meredith Oakes’ Scenes from the Back of Beyond explores the comfort, hopes and fragility of family life in a new Sydney suburb. Bill is sustained by his deep sense of a wider culture and an improving world. The only thing the human race needs to do is learn. When he meets a person who embodies this idea, he naturally likes them. Especially if his wife doesn’t.