Conrad Walters’ Unsilent Heart: A Novel Born in Glebe
A world without death, a teenage quest and a very familiar Glebe: meet local author Conrad Walters
“Unsilent Heart tells the story of 16-year-old Nick Hartford at a time when no one in Australia can die,” Conrad Walters tells Neighbourhood Media, describing the plot of his novel. “Initially, Nick is elated by the phenomenon because it means his grandfather, who has a terminal illness, will now live forever. But Nick soon learns that living forever can also mean suffering forever, and he decides to try (with help from friends) to restore death for a nation of stranded souls.”
It’s an intriguing premise with potential for catastrophic scenarios, but Walters instead focuses on the personal story of Nick and his friends as they struggle with love, loyalty and friendship. It’s also filled with lots of local references, explains Walters.
“Glebe residents may well recognise specifics of where my life in Glebe intersects with their own. These include Jubilee Oval where Nick plays hockey, the wall of dog portraits in Federal Park where Nick walks his border collie and my own dog is memorialised, and the Allan Truss Bridge that serves as the inspiration for the novel's "Troll Bridge", where Nick and his friends convene to investigate the lack of deaths.”
Despite his affinity with Glebe, Walters was not born or raised in the suburb — in fact, not even in this country. He was born in America and grew up an only child whose family travelled constantly.
“Mum was a teacher, and Dad was a fighter pilot with a genuine Top Gun award on his wall, so I often had to entertain myself with made-up stories and a canine companion. All that moving around exposed me to different worlds. I've lived in ten U.S. states and seven countries, meaning most years were spent learning the rules of a new world, which, if you think about it, is pretty much what reading and writing fiction are all about.”
Where Conrad Walters' Writing Journey Began
Walters’ writing career began in journalism. It’s a career that has spanned thirty years, initially in Utah, then in Australia where he worked for The Sydney Morning Herald. He has written non-fiction as well as short fiction and even had a work “published” in icing sugar for a 40th birthday cake.
Walters and his wife (biographer Joyce Morgan) moved from Erskineville to Glebe in 1997.
“We liked the vibrancy of Erskineville and its maze of one-way streets, but we craved the spaciousness of Glebe and the Toxteth Estate,” says Walters.
“We recognised Glebe as home to "our tribe". It is creative but without the grunge of some inner-city suburbs […] With the redevelopment of the Tramsheds in 2016 and this year's opening of the new Sydney Fish Markets, Glebe has become a destination in its own right.”
Before moving to Glebe, Walters and his wife used to visit regularly to walk along Blackwattle Bay. Now that they’re local, they walk the foreshore almost every day, and thanks to recent upgrades, they don’t have to worry about sinking in ankle-deep mud at low tide anymore.
Walters will often pop into the PUG Men's Shed for a friendly chat or a game of cards.
“Mostly the other members play music or do woodworking projects. I'm hopeless at both of those, though, so I claim that the paperback version of my novel is my woodworking project.”
You can pick up a print copy of Unsilent Heart from Gleebooks, or visit Walters’ website for more details on where to find print and digital copies of the novel.
