Tomorrow, When the the War Began

infobox Book
name =Tomorrow, When the War Began
orig title =
translator =


author = John Marsden
cover_artist =
country = Australia
language = English
series =
genre = Action, Adventure novel
publisher = Pan Macmillan (Australia)
release_date = 1993
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn =

"Tomorrow, When the War Began" is a young adult invasion novel written by Australian author John Marsden, detailing a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. The novel are told in first person perspective by the main character, a teenage girl named Ellie Linton, who is part of a small band of teenagers waging a guerrilla war on the enemy garrison in their fictional home town of Wirrawee. The name of the series is derived from the title of the this book, Tomorrow, When The War Began.

Plot summary

Ellie goes out camping in the bush for a week with her friends Homer Yannos, Lee Takkam, Kevin Holmes, Corrie Mackenzie, Robyn Mathers and Fiona Maxwell. They find a way into a large, vegetated sinkhole in a remote area of bush the locals have dubbed "Hell", and camp there for the week. During this time they see large numbers of planes flying through the night without lights, and though it is mentioned in conversation the following morning, they think little of it.

When they return to their home town of Wirrawee, they find that all the people are missing and their pets and livestock are dead and dying. Fearing the worst, they break into three groups to investigate Wirrawee's situation. They confirm that Australia (or at least, Wirrawee) has been invaded and local citizens are being held captive by a hostile foreign force. Ellie's group is discovered and, in order to escape, create an improvised explosive using the fuel tank of a ride-on lawnmower in a backyard as a bomb. However, returning to the nearby meeting point, they discover Robyn and Lee missing. Homer and Ellie search for them and they are met by Robyn, and they discover that Lee has been shot in the leg and hiding out in the main street of Wirrawee, the centre of the enemies activity. Ellie and Homer confer with the others and Ellie decides that they should attempt to rescue Lee in a large earth moving bobcat. After a rough truck chase that sees several soldiers run over Lee is successfully rescued and returned to the safety of Hell.

Ellie and Lee get together and form a romantic relationship after a dream that Ellie has, and Fi and Homer also get involved in a romantic relationship. Ellie finds them to be an unlikely couple, and is a bit jealous at first, but towards the end accepts the fact that she has Lee and Fi has Homer. Of course Kevin and Corrie have been in a romantic relationship for a few months before the invasion.

They decide to raid nearby farmhouses, searching for food and other supplies, and then retreat to Hell to establish a base camp for themselves. On the way they discover their friend, Chris Lang, hiding in his home, and he decides to join Ellie's group. The group decides to wage a guerrilla war against the invaders and Ellie, Fi, and Homer steal a petrol tanker, and blow it up under a bridge, destroying the easiest route into Wirrawee (the detour was very slow and complicated). While this is happening Corrie is shot in the back while finding food with Kevin, and Kevin sacrifices his freedom to drive her to an occupied hospital for medical assistance. This leads onto the end of the book which stops there leaving the reader wondering if Corrie will be all right.

Literary significance and reception

Horn Book Magazine said that "Tomorrow, When the the War Began" is "a riveting adventure through which Marsden explores the capacity for evil and the necessity of working together to oppose it."cite journal|last=Knoth|first=Maeve Visser|date=Jul/Aug95|title=Tomorrow, When the War Began|journal=Horn Book Magazine|volume= Vol. 71|issue=Issue 4|pages=p467|issn=0018-5078] Book Report magazine said that it was "an exciting story of self-discovery and survival."cite journal|last=Decker|first=Charlotte|date=Sep/Oct95|title=Reviews: Fiction|journal=Book Report|volume=Vol. 14|issue=Issue 2|pages=p39|issn=0731-4388]

Notes