David Luhrs has released his debut book 10 Wilson Street , telling the tale of Brigitte, a young German girl, in the final stages of the World War II in Europe.

Born in Sydney in 1957, David Luhrs attended primary school in Townsville, and high school in Brisbane, before settling in at West End – at 10 Wilson Street.

His family home through the 1970s and early 1980s, David has chosen this address as the location to set his first novel, a biography that is a family story with a twist.

Readers will be delighted by 10 Wilson Street‘s breathtaking descriptions of the countryside, the cannon fire, and life under the Russian occupation, told through the optimistic eyes of a sensible young girl.

At 25 years old Brigitte has eloped to Australia, pregnant, with her new husband Hans (John), who is 20 years her senior and now on his third marriage.

Greta Migrant Camp in New South Wales became their new home, and after a tough start, the couple make good to buy their home in Georges Hall, Sydney.

The family twist starts in Sydney after the presence of a handsome young soldier, as John’s struggles with drinking, which pushes him further away from his beloved Brigitte.

A rapid family relocation to Townsville has their very young children guessing. What was the rush?

An idyllic childhood for their five boys in the tropical north goes horribly wrong after seven rocky years, when John, in a drunken rampage, causes havoc in the family. Left with no option, Brigitte flees to Brisbane in South East Queensland with her boys.

After a difficult start living in caravan parks, Brigitte finds herself finally in a new house at 10 Wilson Street West End.

West End bookstore Avid Reader is launching David’s novel in-store on Tuesday 20 February at 6pm. Readers are welcome to attend the launch, and can register for tickets online.

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