'What weapons will you use? What else but words?' In March 1999, James Harper, a shy 28-year-old public servant, receives an unexpected call. The police want to discuss his young sister's suicide, nine years earlier. As the search for answers begins, James confesses that as a child he was abused by his stepfather. Could the two events be connected? James' quest for justice draws him into the murky depths of the legal system, forcing him to face disturbing truths about himself and the past he thought he had left behind. Part crime drama, part coming-of-age tale, part modern psychological odyssey, Fire in the Head is a gripping, unsettling and powerful story about self-discovery, the importance of friendship and the transcendent power of words. Oakman addresses a deep taboo in Australian society: the legacy of child sexual abuse and what victims must endure to bring perpetrators to justice.
