I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Australian actress Sybilla Budd. Sokaluk is currently in jail, having been sentenced to nearly 18 years’ imprisonment. 11 people died in the Churchill blaze (as this fire was known – named after the closest town) but Sokaluk was only charged with 10 counts as the 11th person died of a heart attack and there was some question in the minds of the prosecution whether they could make out the charge. Over a period of four years, you meticulously researched the book, interviewing victims and survivors, police and other first responders, the family and legal team of Brendan Sokaluk, the man ultimately convicted and jailed for arson causing death. The Arsonist tells the story of one such blaze, in the LaTrobe Valley in the southeast of Victoria and the man convicted of deliberately lighting it. Some fires were still burning two weeks later. Some towns were almost completely destroyed. According to Wikipedia, the fires affected 78 towns and left more than 7,500 people homeless. 173 people lost their lives, over 2,000 homes were destroyed, countless animals, livestock and wildlife died in the blazes. On Saturday 7 February 2009, more than 400 separates bushfires raged in the Australian state of Victoria. Content warning: scenes of violence, death, injury, grief, bullying, ableism, references to abuse.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |