Books by Kari Gislason

Born from a secret liaison between a British mother and an Icelandic father, Kári Gíslason was the subject of a promise: a promise elicited by his father not to reveal his identity in order to spare his wife and five other children. At the age of 27, Kári decides to break the pact between his parents by contacting his father's family; what follows makes for a riveting journey over landscapes, time, and memory. From the shark net at Sydney's Balmoral and an unsettled life in the English countryside to the harsh yellow summer of Brisbane and the freezing cold winters of Iceland, the author traces his mother's steps into the arms of a secret lover. At the culmination of this poignant, painful, and joyous story, Kári's determination to defy his father's wishes results in his uniting with his relatives.

In The Ash Burner, a sensitive, poignant novel about growing up, running away, and the many guises of love, 12-year-old Ted lives with his father, the local magistrate, in the small coastal town of Lion's Head. All Ted knows about his mother is that she died when he was a boy, and that his father--despite moving halfway across the world to start anew--still grieves for her privately. When he is hospitalized after a swimming accident, Ted meets Anthony and Claire, and is immediately captivated by the older pair. Intelligent and perspicacious, they introduce him to poetry and art, and he feels a sense of belonging at last. But as the trio's friendship intensifies over the years, Ted must learn to negotiate the boundaries of love and come to terms with a legacy of secrets and silence.