The stencil man (Imprint)

by Garry Disher | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0732224489 Global Overview for this book
Registered by peggysmum of Kambah, Australian Capital Territory Australia on 12/3/2005
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4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by peggysmum from Kambah, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Saturday, December 3, 2005
In the long hot afternoons of an Australian summer, Martin Linke makes stencisl for his children, writes i his journal, and dreams of freedom. "I'm not at war," he had protested when the internment order came. He had left Germany 17 years ago. But it is wartime, and his is an alien.

Martin waits. He keeps to himslef. He is approached by camp factions, but he will not be drawn. If his next appeal is to succeed his record must be blameless. Soon he is an outcast among the internees.

Journal Entry 2 by peggysmum at on Monday, December 12, 2005

Released 18 yrs ago (12/12/2005 UTC) at

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Just filling a bag.

Journal Entry 3 by tantan from Melbourne CBD, Victoria Australia on Sunday, December 18, 2005
Received today - thanks!

Journal Entry 4 by tantan at Townsville, Queensland Australia on Friday, December 19, 2014

Released 9 yrs ago (12/18/2014 UTC) at Townsville, Queensland Australia

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I'll never get around to reading this, so I'm passing it along. Happy travels!

Journal Entry 5 by catsalive at Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Thanks for sending this down to me, tantan.

Journal Entry 6 by catsalive at Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, March 13, 2016
Australia 1942. In the hot afternoons of an Australian summer, Martin Linke makes stencils for his children, writes in his journal, and dreams of freedom. 'I'm not at war,' he had protested when the internment order came. He had left Germany 17 years ago. But it is wartime, and he is an alien. Martin waits. He keeps to himself. He is approached by camp factions, but he will not be drawn. If his next appeal is to succeed his record must be blameless. Soon he is an outcast among the internees.

The Stencil Man is a novel of uneasy alliances, treachery, and flight across the disturbing landscape of Australia in wartime.
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My review:
Martin has been a good Australian citizen for 17 years & now he is locked in an internment camp for the duration of WWII with little hope for appeal. All he wants to do is get back to his children & his farm. His fellow internees all want something of him, but Martin wants to keep to himself in the hope that good behaviour will get him home sooner. His aloneness, & unwillingness to join any faction, is what makes him stand out, drawing the eye of the powers that be & ensuring the failure of his appeals for release.

Martin's escape with two others is an act of desperation. After receiving a letter from the Aunt with whom his children are staying, he fears his divorced wife will take his children away, warping their minds against him - 'I had a letter from you that tipped the balance. Otherwise I would still be in the camp.'

Martin is a bewildered & unlikely hero in a disturbing & uncertain time. The writing is quite stark, with little emotive language, but I can still feel Martin's frustration & empathise with him.

Journal Entry 7 by catsalive at Book a Month Offer, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, April 13, 2017

Released 6 yrs ago (4/13/2017 UTC) at Book a Month Offer, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases

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Sent to HI77 for the March 2017 Book a Month offer.

Journal Entry 8 by HI77 at Fort Myers, Florida USA on Wednesday, May 3, 2017
A man that lives in the lines

of his fluid imagination,
while the world scratches hard

at his walls.

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