A Wigwam for a Goose's Bridle

I’m calling it now, in March. The Other Side of Beautiful is going to be this year’s standout novel. I’ll be hard pressed to find something better to read! I can almost feel the red dust under my fingernails from the drive to Darwin.

Dr Mercy Blain has panic disorder. She’s spent the last 2 years inside her own home, but that has just burnt down. She momentarily moves in with her sort-of-ex-husband, but that arrangement isn’t tenable. Next thing we know, Mercy is driving north from Adelaide in a tiny Daihatsu Hijet, with her sausage dog and a box of ashes. As she runs away from everything, can she actually find herself and the strength she needs to face things that need facing?

This novel has been at least in part influenced by Kim Lock’s own “nervous breakdown”, as she puts it, and you can feel it in the descriptions of Mercy’s thoughts and feelings – this character has been created from a place of understanding.

5 stars from me. A must-read. Thank you you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.