Hunter
Coming of AgeAdded on January 13, 2026
Description
How do you find a way to fit in when you don't really feel you belong? Hunter follows the stories of Eric, a teenage boy, and two men, one a Nazi from Austria and the other a Nazi from northern Germany. Eric has just moved from the country to the coastal town of Crescent Bay and has difficulty adjusting. To earn some money, he begins doing odd jobs for seniors and comes into contact with the two old men. Of Germany descent himself, Eric becomes fascinated by the men and the stories they tell. Are they Nazis? Should he contact the police? He discovers that one of the men has damning evidence against the other and is forced to choose who to turn over to the police. Set during the Gulf War and with a backdrop of middle class Australian coastal life, Hunter is a coming of age story which poses some interesting questions about nationality, social acceptance, conformity and middle class suburban life in Australia. Winner of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Reader Reviews
Hunter by Campbell Jefferys is simply a wonderful book. The coming of age of Eric Messer in Australia on the eve of the Iragi War is both helped and hindered by his parents, his friends, a girl and two old men who may not be exactly what they seem. The story is told with flashbacks to WWII breaking in with the tale of Eric and his family. Eric had moved to Perth with his family from the country where he was happy, where he fit in and where he knew what was what. His entrance into a new school wh
Was Australia a haven for Nazi's?The book starts out with the story of a young, wounded soldier named Peter who deserts the German army in WWII to find refuge with a Polish couple. He is destined to leave Europe and moves to Australia to start a new life under a new name.This is also a coming of age story in the present about a young teen named Eric who is trying to fit in at his new school on the coast of Australia. He has issues with his parents who fight incessantly and he finds that surfing
This book tells the tale about Eric Messer who transfers school when his family move. It is a difficult time for Eric who lives with his father and mother but clearly does not get on with his father and you can understand why! His mother is sympathetic to Eric’s plight but again is often afraid to stand up to her husband. It doesn’t seem a happy marriage.The other side of this story involves a German soldier who lives in the same town that Eric’s family have moved to. We hear about Fischer’s lif
