The Other Side of Beautiful

Mercy Blain’s house in Adelaide burns down and she is traumatised. She has not just lost her home and belongings, but also her refuge from the world for the past two years. Broken by a series of devastating personal events, she has struggled with her mental health.

She accepts temporary accommodation with her ex-husband Eugene and his new lover but knows she can’t possibly stay with them and must try to find a way of breaking out of the anxiety and shadows she has created for herself. When she comes across an elderly man selling a battered 0ld Daihatsu Hijet campervan, with hand-painted flowers on the bodywork and the words ‘Home is wherever you ARE’, she buys it.

Mercy’s spontaneous escape route is partly brought on by trying to dislodge a huntsman spider walking across her windscreen and with her loyal dachshund Wasabi by her side, plus an unexpected box of human ashes under a bench for company, she embarks on her journey of redemption and recovery along the Stuart Highway all the way across Central Australia to Darwin.

With a vehicle that has a top speed of 70 kph and bodywork held together on a wing a prayer, naturally there are hold-ups and diversions along the way. Mercy encounters an assortment of characters including breezy grey nomads, an imagined Outback serial killer and a tabloid journalist who unfortunately recognises her.

She also meets the Scotsman, Andy, who is on his own personal journey and while travelling in tandem with him Mercy finally begins to gain control of the panic attacks that have crippled her life. On the rare occasions her ex-husband manages to contact her - telecommunications being highly unreliable in the Outback- he repeatedly pressures her to return to face the music in an upcoming enquiry but Mercy is determined to complete the journey on her own terms and still make it back on time.

This entertaining and rewarding “road” story has its adventure and whimsy while never shying away from the serious mental health issues that can be brought on by life’s unpredictable events, by stress, and the unreasonable demands of perfection we often place on ourselves. Mercy is a likeable and finely-drawn character, someone with whom many readers will identify and enjoy spending time with. Highly recommended.
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With many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
 
Five stars

Amazon
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