A Trip to Australia

Last week we took a trip to New York with Cleopatra and Frankenstein and this week we are taking a trip to Australia with two books by two Australian authors, both of which I read in late 2023.

The first trip to Australia is via Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton. I continue to recommend Boy Swallows Universe by Dalton on repeat, so I had high hopes for Lola in the Mirror. (If you haven’t read Boy Swallows Universe – add to your TBR. This is one of those books that I universally recommend. The men in my life have loved this book. Hot tip: Buy this book for the man in your life, and then steal it for yourself – you’re welcome.)

(I realised after writing this that it sounds like I am in some kind of polyamorous situation, and I was amused by it. To confirm, I am not.) (I really got sidetracked didn’t I?)

Where was I? Right.. Lola in the Mirror. LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. When I finished this book, I wanted to read it all over again. This is currently sitting at 4.51 on Good Reads so I am in good company. The Good Reads synopsis does a good job of summarising this book .. “[A girl and her mother have] been running for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in the kitchen with the knife in his throat. They’ve found themselves a home inside an orange 1987 Toyota HiAce van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River – just two of the 100,000 Australians sleeping rough every night. The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you’re on the run. But the girl has a dream. Visions in black ink and living colour. A vision of a life as a groundbreaking artist of international acclaim. A life outside the grip of the Brisbane underworld drug queen ‘Lady’ Flora Box. A life of love with the boy in the brown suit who’s waiting for her in the middle of the bridge that stretches across a flooding and deadly river. A life far beyond the bullet that has her name on it. And now that the storm clouds are rising, there’s only one person who can help make her dreams come true.  That person’s name is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can sometimes ever do. She must look in the mirror. A big, moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life and death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror. All of the past, all of the present, and all of our possible futures. ‘Mirror, mirror, please don’t lie. Tell me who you are. Tell me who am I,’”

Please read this one. You won’t regret it, especially if you enjoyed Boy Swallows Universe. BSU has been made into a tv series. I have heard it is great – read the book first though!

Our second book this week on our trip to Australia is Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. You will probably know that I am a fan of Sally Hepworth. Her books are easy to read, have great character development and there is always a twist or two in there as well. They are well written, and have that “just one more chapter” thing going for them. Something for everyone! Darling Girls is no exception. We have book club starting up for the year tomorrow and the fabulous Catherine Chidgey is coming!!! How is that for the power of a persuasive request? I am going to suggest that our March book club is Sally Hepworth themed. What do you think the chances are of Sally Hepworth agreeing to jump on a plane and come to book club? Again, I digress!

Darling Girls is focused around Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who have always been reminded of their good fortune. Rescued from dire family circumstances in their youth, they were nurtured by the caring yet enigmatic Miss Fairchild on a picturesque farm, seemingly a perfect new start.

Yet their upbringing was far from the idyllic story perceived from the outside. Governed by Miss Fairchild's strict and unpredictable rules, and her looming, unchallengeable presence, their lives were shrouded in complexity. Driven by desperation, the sisters eventually escaped her grasp, but her influence lingered like a shadow over their lives. The discovery of a body beneath their childhood home catapults them back into a world of scrutiny and suspicion.

This is a captivating narrative of sisterhood entwined with secrets, love, and a hint of murder.

I read Darling Girls in late 2023 and I finished it in a day. It was the fast paced, plot twisty goodness we have come to know and love from Sally Hepworth. Add this to your TBR because life is too short to read bad books.