POPULAR FICTION
THE LOST SUMMERS OF DRIFTWOOD by Vanessa Mccausland (Harpercollins, $33)
Phoebe drinks super smoothies for breakfast and lives a glamorous life with her partner who is about to propose during their romantic getaway. You’re excited for her. And then your heart breaks as Phoebe flees home without the ring, returning to the New South Wales South Coast where her holidays were spent as a child. Here she finds a comforting sense of community until some unsettling secrets emerge to shatter her newly found peace. This is a story that relies on secrets which makes it hard to say too much about it other than it is beautifully written and accurately portrays the power of relationships and memories. All in all, it’s a vivid and enjoyable read.
SAVING MISSY by Beth Morrey (Harpercollins, $33)
Saving Missy is a heart-breaking and heart-warmingly wonderful story about love, dogs and secrets. It opens with the lonely and elderly Missy trying to get her life together, her husband no longer with her, being estranged from her son and grandson, all while arguing with her daughter. At the park on New Year’s Day, she meets Sylvie and Angela. When Angela asks if Missy will mind her dog, she finds the company she needs in the local dog-walking community. From here, the story follows Missy’s journey (and it is quite a journey) and though she’s made plenty of mistakes, she picks herself up and opens up to the possibility of a new life. I won’t forget the two letters featured in this book nor the feelgood, kind characters Beth Morrey delivers. A must-read.
SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid (Bloomsbury Publishing, $33) The story follows two women during very different stages of their lives, yet not too far apart in age. Emira, a 25-year-old black woman who babysits Alix’s two young daughters, is aimlessly trying to figure out her life before she turns 26 and loses her parents’ health insurance; Alix is a selfmade and well-meaning white woman with supportive family and friends behind her. Their lives of comfortable routine get mixed up after a security guard at their local supermarket accuses Emira of kidnapping 2-year-old Briar simply because she is black and Briar is white. This is a fascinating book about race and privilege with flawed but genuine characters. A beautifully written and totally addictive read.