Reviewed by Susan Francis
In writing her novel, Susan Francis has tackled the challenge of combining a gripping thriller with a controversial historical event. This she has accomplished with admirable skill. As the drama unfolds with breathtaking speed, betrayal, greed, politics and courage in dealing with ruthless characters, give it a power that is striking.
The style is really descriptive but not excessive. The steaming uncomfortable tropics of Timor Leste and Indonesia almost drip from the page, and the characters are complex and vibrant.
Eleanor Freeman emerges as the most unforgettable and significant character. She is a respected translator, and lived in Indonesia for many years. Surprisingly, she has a stutter which does not impede her work but makes her acutely self-conscious. In the year 2000, a savage fire in Sydney destroys the house where she now lives with her step-mother Ida.
Ida dies and investigators are convinced that the fire was arson and she was in fact murdered. Eleanor survived and suspicion falls on her. She manages to flee to an old property, a lighthouse, on the Central Coast.
It is obvious to Eleanor that Ida’s past life in Indonesia is connected to her death and she is desperate to unravel the truth. 1975 was a tumultuous year with the invasion of East Timor by Indonesia and the killing of the five Western journalists – the Balibo Five. They became the symbol of treachery and government failure. Their fate was sealed by the greed of both Australian and Indonesian politicians who were obsessed by the massive oil/ gas deposits offshore that heralded immense wealth. More disturbing personally is her belief that Ida was once a spy for Indonesia and could be responsible for the deaths of resistance fighters and possibly the Balibo 5.
The attempts to establish Ida’s role in the chaotic events of 1975 are wild and dangerous. The horrors of invasion are graphic and starkly shown. Self-preservation and betrayal dominate.
The men in Eleanor’s life are portrayed with a depth of reality that makes them even more unattractive. Clive, the stepfather, is a sleazy dishonest man who has defrauded both Ida and Eleanor. Stuart, a clever diplomat and unscrupulous businessman, has charm, intelligence and she marries him, but the charisma evaporates as she realises his true nature.
When the Sydney fire takes place in 2000, 25 years have passed since the invasion of East Timor by the Indonesian army. She is determined to unearth the facts of the events that took place, an almost impossible task. This is complicated by the coverup by the Australian government which refused to expose the motives behind their stance.
The failure of government to face the truth and support the journalists, instead focusing on the future riches of the oil and gas reserves, is the most startling aspect of Revelation Beach. Today, Timor Este is still a struggling nation and it is shameful that Australia and its powerful neighbour would bully and conspire to rob it of its economic future.
The consolation is that there are characters like Eleanor Freeman and the dead journalists who seek answers and take risks to shine the light on the facts. Although traumatised by the fire, the death of her stepmother and the threat of a murder charge, she is resolved to do this. The abandoned lighthouse up the Coast at Revelation Beach is where she is able to assemble the pieces of the puzzle.
Ultimately, Susan Francis has written a fine thriller that additionally offers a compelling insight into the events of 1975 and yet another example of the government’s ruthless position where economic wealth is in play.
Revelation Beach
[2025]
by Susan Francis
Wild Dingo Press
ISBN: 978 192589 389 2
$32.99; 288pp