One of the best books I've read recently

5 stars

Delicately knitting together a web of emotion, A Far-Flung Life is as heart breaking as it is heart warming. A rare novel rich in time and place - 1950s Western Australia - and a wide array of characters the reader feels they've known forever. 

The MacBride family, who live on the vast sheep station Meredith Downs is transformed in the aftermath of a car accident. The painful ripple effect changes the lives of those who survived in ways they cannot fathom. This novel speaks of human frailty and the things we must do to survive and carry on living when the weight of past events becomes too heavy a burden to carry. It is deeply personal and tender in its careful portrayal of the prison we build for ourselves when we cannot live up to societal norms. 

Absolutely crushing yet hopefully, too, this well crafted novel will be one that lingers in my mind for some time. I feel sad to have finished yet pleased with the finale. I cannot praise this book enough. Though bittersweet anguish to read, the beauty of the writing and the soft hope proved a real balm. Glorious, I highly recommend as one of the best novels I read recently.