A Week in the Life of Cassandra Aberline

After forty-five years in Sydney, Cassandra Aberline returns to her home town in the Western Australian wheat belt in the same way she left: on the Indian Pacific train.

As they cross the emptiness of the vast Australian inland, Cassie travels back through her memories, too, frightened that she's about to lose them forever—and with them, her last chance to answer the question that has haunted her almost all her life.

'Platinum sounds expensive,' she said.'But so worth it.' The travel agent was a master at judging people. 'And you get so much for it.'He said a figure that made Cassie laugh.'I just want to travel on the train, not buy the bloody thing.'But she handed over her credit card. After all, she reasoned on the walk home up the hill of Reservoir Street, somehow in three days and nights she must resolve the niggling doubt that has held her to ransom for some forty-odd years—and how could she do that with a stranger opening the door,...