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'How far would you go to protect a child in danger?
'When a new family moves in next door, it takes Anna just two days to realise something is very wrong. She can hear their five-year-old daughter Charlie crying, then sees injuries on the little girl which cannot be ignored. Anna reports the family to the police and social services but when no one comes to Charlie's aid, Anna understands that she is alone with her fears for the child's life.
'So when Charlie comes to her door asking for help, the only thing Anna can think to do is take the girl and run.
'Raising delicate but deeply felt questions about our individual responsibility for the children around us, Promise is a novel that obliges the reader to ask: if Charlie were my neighbour, what would I do?' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Dedication: For my beloved mother, Marion Armstrong.
-
Epigraph:
All the lost children slipping like stars
into a midnight sea.
- Catherine Bateson, The Vigilant Heart.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also large print.
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Who Could Ignore a Child in Danger?
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 23 July 2016; (p. 36)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel ; The Teacher's Secret 2016 single work novel -
Sarah Armstrong's 'last-chance' Baby Inspired a Novel about Abduction
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 15 July 2016;
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'In a sensitised state after her daughter was born, Sarah Armstrong found herself worrying about all the children who could not rely on the adults around them. Their vulnerability, their defencelessness kept her awake at night. ...' -
The Art of Threading Parent-child Relationships through a Novel
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Sun-Herald , 17 July 2016; (p. 12)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'In a sensitised state after her daughter was born, Sarah Armstrong found herself worrying about all the children who could not rely on the adults around them. Their vulnerability, their defencelessness kept her awake at night. ...' -
Walk a Mile in Another's Shoes
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 2 July 2016; (p. 38)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'A heartbreaking tragedy inspired a former journalist’s latest novel that poses a moral dilemmaThe sharpened news instincts that netted Sarah Armstrong a Walkley Award kept their edge when she turned her hand to writing novels. ...' -
Promise by Sarah Armstrong : When a Saviour Becomes an Abducter
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 16 September 2016;
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'Sarah Armstrong's third novel, Promise, reflects the poise and craftsmanship of her two previous books. Indeed, her first novel, Salt Rain (2005), was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and her second, His Other House (2015), written after a considerable hiatus, was also favorably received. ...'
-
Walk a Mile in Another's Shoes
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 2 July 2016; (p. 38)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'A heartbreaking tragedy inspired a former journalist’s latest novel that poses a moral dilemmaThe sharpened news instincts that netted Sarah Armstrong a Walkley Award kept their edge when she turned her hand to writing novels. ...' -
The Art of Threading Parent-child Relationships through a Novel
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Sun-Herald , 17 July 2016; (p. 12)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'In a sensitised state after her daughter was born, Sarah Armstrong found herself worrying about all the children who could not rely on the adults around them. Their vulnerability, their defencelessness kept her awake at night. ...' -
Sarah Armstrong's 'last-chance' Baby Inspired a Novel about Abduction
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 15 July 2016;
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel 'In a sensitised state after her daughter was born, Sarah Armstrong found herself worrying about all the children who could not rely on the adults around them. Their vulnerability, their defencelessness kept her awake at night. ...' -
Who Could Ignore a Child in Danger?
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 23 July 2016; (p. 36)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel ; The Teacher's Secret 2016 single work novel -
When a Saviour Turns to Abduction
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17-18 September 2016; (p. 30)
— Review of Promise 2016 single work novel