Fly Away Peter

Fly Away Peter is a historical novel by Australian author David Malouf, published in 1982 by George Braziller. Set before and during the First World War, it tells the story of Jim Saddler, a sensitive twenty-year-old Australian man with a passion for birdwatching. As he makes his way to the Western front and eventually to the frontlines of battle, Jim encounters for the first time the brutality of war and the savage side of man's nature.

On the Gold Coast of Australia, Jim charts the lives and behaviors of the birds that live at the estuary near his home. Ashley Crowther, a rich twenty-three-year-old just back from England, has inherited the land, and noticing Jim's interest in the birds that live there, he offers Jim a job. Ashley will hire Jim to make a comprehensive catalog of all the birds on the property. Jim accepts, and the two regard Ashley's land as a sanctuary for the birds that call it home.

Soon after, Jim meets Imogen Harcourt, another birdwatcher. They bond over their shared affection for sandpipers. Jim's bright intellect, sensitive nature, and devotion to birds touch Imogen deeply.



During a brief trip to Brisbane, Jim hears that World War I has started. People are rejoicing at the news, much to Jim's dismay. Men scramble to enlist. After a sleepless night in Brisbane, Jim is ready to return home to his beloved sanctuary.

There is no denying, however, that the world is changing around Jim. Young Australian enlistees leave the country by the droves to join the frontlines. Eventually, Jim, too, enlists, but not out of any desire to fight or further some nebulous war effort. He feels he must go in order to understand why everything is changing.

Jim makes friends in his unit. There is Clancy Parkett, a firebrand with a cracking sense of humor. There is Bobby Cleese, a beekeeper who enjoys fishing. Then there are the birds that fly in the sky above, connecting Jim to his sense of home and assuring him that, even in times of war, the cycle of life goes on.



Before going into the trenches, Clancy and Jim steal away to a local bar, where they meet a young soldier named Eric Sawney. Eric immediately takes to Clancy and becomes his shadow. While at the bar, Clancy tells a story that turns out to be a surprisingly serious one, in light of his constant joking. The story—about a woman Clancy loves—unexpectedly moves Jim.

Once on the front, things turn bleak. The trenches aren't just home to Jim and his unit; they're also flooded with water, rife with rats, and teeming with rotting corpses. The violence is beyond Jim's wildest imaginings. Even during downtime away from the trenches, violence lurks. One day, while unloading a truck, an explosion sends Jim sailing through the air. Upon landing, he sees Eric, screaming in pain—with his legs missing. As he goes to help Eric, Jim, covered in blood, can't find Clancy. Then he realizes that the blood belongs to his now-dead friend.

Eric survives the blast. Jim visits him a few days later in the hospital and tries to assure him that things will turn out okay. But Eric is alone in the world—he's an orphan—and now he has lost his legs. Jim's comforting words convince neither Eric nor himself.



Meanwhile, Ashley is fighting on the front, too. He is an officer and joined up right after his wife had their baby. He and Jim meet by chance every so often on the frontlines, but their meetings are always brief, silent acknowledgments of their shared history and friendship.

Then, as Jim's unit charges into battle, he suddenly takes flight, looking down with a bird's-eye view. His body feels like it's fading away. Suddenly, Jim realizes he is in a tent. There is a man there who sorts out the tentful of ghostly-looking soldiers. Ashley appears beside Jim and orders him to follow.

In the woods, Ashley and Jim come to a garden, planted some time ago by an old man while Jim stood nearby and watched. A group of people dig in the ground around the garden. Clancy arrives at Jim's side and tells him to join in the digging. Looking around, Jim sees no sign of Ashley. He digs with increasing fervor, driven by the inexplicable conviction that this is what his hands were made for, just as a bird's wings were made so it could fly.



Back in Australia, Imogen learns of Jim's death in battle. Ashley suffered wounds in the same battle but survived. While walking on the beach shortly after receiving the news, Imogen sees a surfer, the first she's ever seen on this stretch of shoreline. As the novelty of this new event thrills her, it also saddens her because Jim will never get to experience it. She misses him profoundly. But, for Imogen, the surfer represents the future—and all the promise it holds.