The Last Summer of the Men Shortage — Geraldine Halls

Men are hard to come by in the summer of 1945, and those that Dinah does find are stolen by Claudia with appalling regularity. Dinah and Claudia are young Adelaide women, teaming up to enjoy their independence in exotic Sydney during days drenched in sunshine and sentimental songs. Claudia is in love with Andrew who has a wife, a 'way of life', and a taste for cruelty. The victim of his sadistic irony is Dinah, who cannot understand why he is so anxious to find her a man. The reason, it transpires, is a practical one.