Our Common Life
The Story of a Father, the Making of a Son
2024 · UpperRoom Press
A biographical novel blending memoir and literary fiction. Set in Queensland from the 1920s to 1970s, it tells the story of Victor Leo — a boy from Ipswich who became a WWII soldier, a broken man, and finally a father whose life shaped his son's understanding of grace, forgiveness, and what it means to share a common life.
Available Formats
- Publisher
- UpperRoom Press
- Year
- 2024
- Category
- Biographical novel
Why read this book
This is the book Graham was born to write. Part memoir, part novel, it tells the story of his father Victor — from Depression-era Ipswich to the battlefields of WWII and back to a family struggling with the aftermath. If you've ever wondered how a parent's unspoken pain shapes their children, or how grace finds its way into broken families, this story will stay with you. Available in print, ebook, and audiobook narrated by Graham himself.
From the book
Grounded people will live well and die well. The ground they have loved will receive them, the ground they leave behind will be better for their having been here.— Graham Leo, Our Common Life
Life that does not recognise that it is earth-based will not survive the tough times.— Graham Leo, Our Common Life
God doesn't just love good people; he loves ordinary people and makes them good.— Graham Leo, Our Common Life
Frequently asked questions
Who is this book for?+
Anyone who loves literary fiction rooted in real life. If you've been shaped by a parent's story — their silences, their sacrifices, their unspoken wounds — this book will resonate deeply.
Is it a true story?+
It's a biographical novel — grounded in the real story of Graham's father Victor, but told with the craft and freedom of literary fiction. The emotional truth is entirely real.
Is the audiobook narrated by the author?+
Yes. Graham narrates the audiobook himself, bringing a personal intimacy to the story that only the author — Victor's son — could provide.
What period does it cover?+
From the 1920s through the 1970s — Depression-era Queensland, WWII, and the decades of aftermath as a family learns to live with what war did to them.
