The Ghost at the Wedding

Citation:  Walker, Shirley. The Ghost at the Wedding, Camberwell, Vic. : Viking, 2009.

Summary:  Northern New South Wales, the Clarence River region, 1914. In this fertile, rural environment and over the course of three generations the families of this area will be shaken by unimaginable losses. When the First World War began, four youths within the community enlisted. They were eager to do their part. Only one returned, maimed by the conflict. His name was Ted and he would become Jessie's (the author's mother in law) husband. Years later, during the Second World War, Jessie sees off her sons and younger brothers as they join the fight. This is a narrative that shifts between time periods and countries, contrasting between the peaceful nature of life at home and the chaos of the battlefield. It explores the effects that a war can have not just on those who take part but their families as well. Bolstered by amassed documentation such as letters, diaries and service records, Shirley Walker conveys her mother-in-law's perspective through a memoir format that '...convinces utterly, immerses the reader in the experience. Evocative, heartfelt.' - Lucy Sussex, Sunday Age

Time Period(s):  World War I and II.

External Links:

Goodreads page
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6559791-the-ghost-at-the-wedding

Radio interview with author Shirley Walker
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/shirley-walker-the-ghost-at-the-wedding/3126158