First Touch of Light

Book excerpt: A POWERFUL STORY ABOUT THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF WAR ON ONE NEW ZEALAND FAMILY. 1940. George does his duty and enlists. The day before his departure he marries his sweetheart, Ellen. But four years of separation and the pressures of war create devastating changes. Ellen has had an affair and borne a child and, traumatised by his experiences, George retreats into a rage-filled silence. After years of bearing the brunt of George's bitterness, Ellen finally snaps. Years later Ellen's daughter travels to Italy, retracing the journey of the man she had thought of as her father. THE FIRST TOUCH OF LIGHT is the second and final novel by the late Ruth Pettis. It is a moving story of war and grief and loss, and a compelling portrait of a marriage under impossible stress.