This important book succeeds in forcing us to see and hear the individuals hidden from knowledge and understanding behind the razor wire of Australia’s detention centres. The opening chapter, ‘The Iron Curtin’, presents material that, even if familiar to some, still has the power to shock. I was jolted once more by the cold facts of our treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.

This opening chapter is well placed and gives a wide-ranging exploration of the detention centre in Curtin, Western Australia. It sets the context for the much more personal stories that follow, creating a frame through which we can comprehend Morteza’s youthful rage, and be surprised by the restraint, resilience, and quiet endurance of many of the people we meet.