His Illegal Self

Che is raised in isolated privilege by his New York grandmother, precocious son of radical Harvard students in the sixties. Yearning for his famous outlaw parents, denied all access to television and the news, he takes hope from his long haired teenage neighbour who predicts they will come for you, man. They'll break you out of here. Soon Che too is an outlaw, fleeing down subways, abandoning seedy motels at night, as he is pitched into a journey that leads him to a hippy commune in the jungle of tropical Queensland. Here he slowly, bravely, confronts his life, learning that nothing is what it seems. "His Illegal Self" is an achingly beautiful and emotional story of the love between a young woman and a little boy, and a wonderful journey of self-discovery.

About the Author

Peter Carey was born in 1943 in Australia and lives in New York. He is the author of nine previous novels, including Oscar and Lucinda (1988 Booker Prize winner), Jack Maggs (1998 Commonwealth Writers Prize winner), True History of the Kelly Gang (2001 Booker Prize winner), and Theft.

Prizes

Brilliant new novel from Booker Prize winning author of Oscar & Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang