Fires Within

"Fires Within" is a novel that explores the often conflicting 'inner fires' of sexuality and spirituality - conflicting not just with each other, but also with traditional religious and social attitudes and myths. Peter is the central character - a minister/pastor, who struggles to cope with these issues in relation to his role within the church - and particularly in relation to unresolved grief in his own life. Len is a doctor, facing similar issues within secular society. Jay is a Chinese woman, who has to work through these same conflicts - firstly, growing up as the daughter of a missionary doctor in what later became Communist China, and then as a reluctant masseuse/sex worker in Australia. Rather than trying to provide simplistic or moralistic answers to these inner conflicts, the interaction of these characters attempts to explore possible ways of engaging in the search for personal integrity, even if that challenges some of the traditions and myths that often limit the enjoyment of 'the fullness of life'.