Tales of Suburban Castaways

<p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(42 42 42 1)>In these absorbing stories Bel Vidal weaves dreams into real life with the eloquence of a seasoned storyteller.</strong></p><p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(42 42 42 1)>Anne Marie Smith Author of the memoir <em>Pardon my French;</em> and editor of <em>Culture is Australian Stories Across Cultures</em></strong></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(42 42 42 1)>A South American migrant makes headlines as the first Australian to die in the September 11 attacks but his life achievements are lost in translation. An outsider crosses the bridge that separates 'us' from 'them' with the support of new friends. A hunchback discovers her unimaginable beauty. A fallen Master finds a path to redemption...</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(42 42 42 1)>Bel Vidal's prose shines as she shares tales of love loss hope and strength in this eclectic collection of fiction and non-fiction works written over the course of 25 years. Characters that range from real ordinary beings to fallen angels jump off the page to tell their stories.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(42 42 42 1)>Many of Bel's stories explore themes of belonging and identity while others are enigmatic and fantastical. All are grounded in two overarching needs of humans: acceptance and love.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(42 42 42 1)>Allow yourself to be carried along on this journey of self-discovery human frailties hard truths and transformation.</span></p>