As tensions simmer in a small country town, three women are going to need more than CWA sausage rolls and can-do community spirit to put things right. From bestselling author Tricia Stringer comes a delightful novel full of practical wisdom and dry humour that examines female friendship, buried secrets and why honesty is (usually) the best policy.
Privacy is hard to maintain in Badara, the kind of small Australian country town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. So discovers single mum Paige when she and her three children arrive from the city seeking refuge. Paige’s only respite from child care and loneliness is the Tuesday gym club, where she had feared the judgement of the town matriarchs, but she is met only with generosity and a plethora of baked goods. Besides, both the brusque Marion and her polished sister-in-law Briony are too busy dealing with their own dramas to examine hers.
Well-to-do farmer’s wife and proud mother Briony is in full denial of her family’s troubles. Even with her eldest daughter’s marriage in ruins and her son Blake’s recent bombshell. Suddenly Briony and husband Vince have a full house again – and the piles of laundry aren’t the only dirty linen that’s about to be aired.
For Marion, the unearthing of a time capsule – its contents to be read at the Celebrate Badara weekend – is a disaster. She was only a teenager when she wrote down those poisonous words, but that doesn’t mean she won’t lose friends and family if they hear what she really thinks of them – especially as the letter reveals their darkest secrets to the world.
When the truth comes out for Badara, keeping up appearances may no longer be an option for anyone…
Tricia Stringer is one of Australia’s most accomplished writers. She never puts a foot wrong when delivering great women’s fiction. This time, the story takes place in the small town of Badara. Though fictional, we’ve all been there. Most readers will relate to Badara and its occupants, no matter where they live.
Once again, Stringer has crafted a cast of complex, compelling characters, connected through the community. Some have decades of history that is put to the test here.
A standout is Marion, who is married to the beautifully drawn Len. When Marion was sixteen, she made some predictions for fellow classmates that went into a time capsule, never thinking ahead to the day the predictions would be revealed. Never thinking she’d still be in town. And certainly, never predicting how her own life would unfold. The chapter where the contents of the capsule are revealed is sensationally awkward, and the fallout and Marion’s quest for forgiveness within her community is filled with warmth and wisdom. But that’s how Stringer writes. By the closing pages, you’re a part of this feel-good community and reluctant to leave.
Everyone is Keeping up Appearances in this moving, marvellous read about friendship and secrets. Another winner from Stringer.
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