Mister Pip, written by Lloyd Jones, was published in 2006. It is to some extent a response to the character Pip from the novel Great Expectations. It takes place in the Pacific and is set during the civil war on Bougainville Island.
Matilda is a girl who lives in Bougainville during the civil war. Her mother is very strict and is a Christian. Pip helps Matilda survive, even after her mother dies. Matilda almost drowns herself after her mother and the rest of her village is killed, but after thinking about Pip, she decides to save her life.
This is the narrative of a young woman who was inspired to live through very hard times by an unlikely character. Jones's highly acclaimed book won the Man Booker Prize, the Commonwealth Writer's Prize, the Montana Medal for Fiction or Poetry, and the Kiriyama Prize.