A Far-flung Life is set from the late 1950s onwards on a sheep station in Western Australia, and is the tale of Matt MacBride, son of an old pastoral family. As an 18 year old, on the verge of a life he has planned, Matt suffers severe head injuries in a crash in the opening chapter of the book.
The implications, both of the accident and what comes after, shape his life in a very real and deep way.
The descriptions of the landscape and the characters had me from the beginning – I was reading their voices in my strongest Aus accent, loving the way she used the ‘lingo’.
However, as one grim event followed another, I began to doubt my lasting power.
Find A Far-flung Life here.
But things – like life – moved on, and I was caught up in the various relationships and with Matt’s struggle,s and with the story of Andy growing up as an orphan.
This might have been a five star, but there were a couple of areas where I expected far more drama which didn’t happen – things kinda worked themselves out pretty nicely when they might well have not. A bit of a ‘cop out’.
A satisfying read overall however, and am tempted to read her other book, The Light Between Oceans.
More reviews here and my monthly round up of what I’ve read here. And when you’re looking for your next read, have an explore of the kind of books I write here.