About the Book:
Born on the island of Tasmania, Heather Rose falls in love with nature, but a family tragedy at age twelve sets her on a course to explore life and all its mysteries.
Here is a wild barefoot girl keen for adventure, a seeker of truth initiated in ancient rituals, a fledgling writer who becomes one of Australia's most acclaimed authors, a fierce mother whose body may falter at any moment.
Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a luminous, compelling and utterly surprising memoir by the bestselling author of Stella Prize-winner The Museum of Modern Love and Bruny. Heartbreaking and beautiful, this is a love story brimming with courage and joy against all odds, one that will bring wonder, light and comfort to all who read it.
Published by Allen & Unwin
Released November 2022
My Thoughts:
Memoirs are such tricky books to review. They're kind of tricky to read too, if I'm honest. I'm not always a fan of them and select them very carefully. This one was not what I was expecting, and I don't mean that in a good way. Going in, I think I was prepared for a memoir on grief and writing, and to a certain extent, I got some of that. I was particularly interested in Heather's journey through life as a sufferer of chronic pain with a debilitating condition, but she only really got into that in the last chapter, a pity, because I really enjoyed that chapter a lot and would have preferred more on that than what she did focus on.
I am not opposed to spirituality, nor am I completely sceptical of the paranormal. But I found the majority of this memoir hard going. From her twenties onwards, Heather seems to be constantly seeking something, at first, I thought it was to deal with grief, then I wondered if it was on account of her chronic condition, yet much of what she does seems to cause more suffering and put her body and mind under such extreme duress, that I got to the point where I began skipping forward. I just didn't want to read about it anymore. A lot of it was just confusing. Much of it dumbfounding. And here is the trickiness I mentioned above: in being critical of this, I feel as though I am judging her on her life choices, and that's not what I feel I have the right to do, with anyone. I will comment though, that I did feel uncomfortable with many things she chose to do. I simply don't understand why someone who is not of a certain culture feels as though it is their right to participate in said cultures sacred and traditional rituals. It's a form of white privilege that does not sit well with me.
Writing wise, this memoir is as lyrically beautiful as any of Heather Rose's novels. She is so talented with words and evocation of time and place. I listened to this one, read by Heather herself, and apart from the spiritual parts - which were many and also confusing and incredibly drawn out - I didn't mind it, particularly the later years. I understand why Heather may not have wanted to focus too much on her chronic pain, after all, this is not something any of us want to be defined by, the conditions we suffer and have to live with. The knowledge of it though, coming at the end, may have provided greater context for the spirituality stuff that preceded it if it had been more incorporated throughout. I honestly don't know how she managed to put herself through all the things she did with the condition she has.
I neither recommend nor not recommend this one. It's just one of those memoirs that you'll either love or hate. I'm ambivalent, if truth be told. I definitely wouldn't read it again and I certainly wouldn't give it as a gift.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy. Even though I chose to listen to an audio version, I am appreciative of the copy that was sent to me.
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