A fiercely original, beautifully written multi layered tour de force of immense power and humanity, THE VOLCANO tells the tumultuous story of Emikio Aquila, a boy driven mad by love for a woman beyond his reach. His passion turns him into an outcast, forced to live away from his village in the labyrinthine caves high on the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna. His determination to right the wrongs dealt to him turns him into a kidnapper and a gangster - and compels his to seek a new life half a world away. But will he be able to escape the shadows of the past? And will Australia ever be more to him than a place of suffering and regret?