At the Foot of the Cherry Tree

Gordon Parker is just an eager 18-year-old Australian boy desperate to fight for his country, and Nobuko 'Cherry' Sakuramoto is a 16-year-old girl struggling to survive in Japan in the aftermath of World War II. But when they fall in love, they change the course of history.When Gordon arrived in Japan, he expected ruthless samurai, angry Japanese men ready to kill Australians at every corner. Instead, he found Cherry, terrified of ex-enemy soldiers, a 16-year-old survivor of the atomic bomb. Against all the rules and against all odds, they fall in love. But when Gordon discovers the White Australia Policy prevents Cherry coming home with him as his war bride, Gordon does what any 20-year-old soldier would do. He vows to fight. Leaving Cherry alone and pregnant in post-war Japan, Gordon somehow has to convince his family to accept his marriage and wage a desperate campaign against a xenophobic and war-scarred government to allow his wife and his family to come home.

Short-listed for Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year 2024 Long-listed for Indie Book Awards Fiction 2024

'An impressive debut novel … a standout … beautifully done. At the Foot of the Cherry Tree delivers both educational value and emotional impact. The connection to real-life individuals adds a wonderful dimension to the novel, reminding readers of the genuine struggles faced by these brave and resilient Australians.' -- Books+Publishing

Alli Parker is a Japanese Australian bestselling author and screenwriter, with a background in script editing and script co-ordinating. She lives on the stolen land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Takaya Honda received a Bachelor of Communications (Media Arts and Production) at UTS and is also a writer, director and producer. He is best known for his as Dr Tanaka on the long running Australian soap Neighbours. With a diploma in screen acting (Film and Television Institute) and a BFA in Music theatre (Victorian College of the Arts), Kaori has appeared as a series regular on the Australian soap, Neighbours in the role of Jasmine Udagawa. Other screen credits include appearing alongside Nazeem Hussain on his comedy skit show, Orange Is The New Brown and playing Tessa on NBC series, La Brea.

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