Reluctant Betrayals

A compelling love-story and coming-of-age thriller set in 1960s Cambodia, against the background of the Vietnam War and Soviet-era espionage.

Cambodia, 1966 - before the Khmer Rouge. A haven of peace in a war-torn Asia, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the country's flamboyant leader, cries out as the Vietnam War next door threatens to engulf the entire region.

To young French-Australian journalist Philippe Roche, newly arrived in Phnom Penh to kick off his career, life sems to be full of promise: his first job, his first taste of freedom and adventure after the constraints of 1960s Australia, a warm, welcoming, permissive ambience. But even as he falls under the spell of this exotic land, enjoying the last of its golden years before it too is sucked into the maelstrom, dangers lurk beneath the surface. Plunging into a secret affair with a captivating older woman, before long he is forced to confront his own contradictions and choose between conflicting loyalties as dark undercurrents of international politics threaten to tear his life apart and he comes close to death. What sacrifices will he have to make to protect the woman he loves and the memory of the man who saves his life?

approx. 310 pages 112000 words