AFTER THE FIRE, A STILL SMALL VOICE intertwines the story of fathers and sons, their wars and the things they never know about each other. It's about the things men can't say out loud and the taut silence that fills up the empty space. The story is set in eastern Australia with its dark trees and blinding light, where the land is old but its wounds are still wet. Frank moves from Canberra to a shack on the east coast after the turbulent breakdown of his relationship. He wants to put his violent past and bad memories of his father behind him. In a small coastal community, he tries to retrain himself as someone who can have regular conversations and relations with other people. He even starts to make friends, including eight year old Sal and her carrot. But something dark watches him, a Creeping Jesus in the sugar cane. Leon is the child of European immigrants to Australia, living in Sydney. Leon's father loves Australia for becoming their home when their own country turned hostile during the Second World War