The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop

‘The Golden Age’ is an immensely satisfying and generous story about displacement, recovery, resilience, and love. 13 year old Frank Gold’s family has escaped from Hungary and the perils of World War II to the safety of Australia, but not long after their arrival Frank is diagnosed with polio. He is sent to a sprawling children’s hospital called The Golden Age, where he meets Elsa, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, a girl who radiates pure light. Frank and Elsa fall in love, fueling one another’s rehabilitation, facing the perils of polio and adolescence hand in hand, and scandalising the prudish staff of The Golden Age.