Not My Typical

Have you ever read a book and when you were done thought...'well that's a first!' That was my experience with Wendy Harmer's book, 'Roadside Sisters'. I completed it in a record two weeks and my only thought as I read on was...'this is not my typical kind of read'. I carried it in my back pack to and from uni, reading it...getting absorbed in its utter honesty. My train rides had become more interesting and I looked forward to being transported to the world of books (pun not intended). Wendy is as Aussie as she can get really...down right honest and hilarious! In fact, I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to read a book authored by one...it was refreshing and felt right at home!

I had the pleasure of being introduced to three women; Anna, Meredith and Nina who twenty years ago belonged to a gospel choir named Sanctified Soul. They part ways soon after their final performance and barely get in touch after. So flash forward to twenty years; Meredith is mother to two adults, divorced and lives in a world of elegance and class, Nina is a 'footy-mum' with three boys and loving husband Brad and Anna, well she is the one they envy; living a lavishly no-string attached life. The plot? Well, Nina, sick of the day-to-day housewife and mum rituals, hatches a plan to have the girls reunite on a two-week trip using an Elvis-themed camper van from their home in Melbourne to Byron Bay where Meredith's daughter is getting married. The trip would be a way for them to well, catch up. And catch up they do!

What stroke me most with this book though was how very real it was. If you've ever taken a trip just girls you might have an idea how these 'soul-trips' turn out. Like the first day in school all over again, these women were getting to know each other afresh. Discovering that just like in their singing days, they needed to be in 'harmony' with one another (pun intended), they learnt life's crucial lessons. Nevertheless, in the midst of laughter, tears and sometimes unbelievable events, this book caught me thinking about my girlfriends and how if we ever hatched a plan to 'escape' from the world, I'd probably borrow a thing or two from Roadside Sisters. :)