Shaking the Trees

Shaking the Trees intertwines the personal struggles of a family with the larger global crisis of climate change and an ignored war; the Siege of Sarajevo. The novel explores themes of loss, love, denial and the haunting and often hidden legacies of past trauma.Jake, desperate to combat climate change, resorts to destroying property and infrastructure, failing to even consider the personal consequences. He hides his actions from his partner Julie to protect her, but soon finds himself lying to her. Torn between his love for Julie and his fight for the planet, their relationship begins to fray.Jake eventually confesses, but the truth strains their bonds even further. Julie, pregnant with their first child, feels Jake's love for her waning. Their future together becomes uncertain.In the aftermath of Jake's actions, civil disobedience and property destruction both escalate. Jake is arrested for criminal and terrorist acts. Meanwhile, Jake's mother is dying, and his father Ian, a retired academic, is in denial about her fate and the reality of climate change.After Mary's death, Ian confronts his past - his estrangement from his sister Sophia and flight from Sarajevo as a young man - by reading a bundle of letters from Sophia, unopened for over fifteen years. In search of her he travels to Sarajevo and Italy while Jake prepares for a trial that may see him spend the rest of his life in prison.In the end, Ian returns home with Sophia and Jake's trial concludes with a conviction but a reduced sentence. When he is released, he joins his now larger family on a block of land in NSW. Jake slowly rebuilds his relationship with Julie, learns to love his young son and ponders whether he can return to being an activist.