REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR
The story is told from the point of view of both the twelve-year-old Sylvia, during the bush fires of the 1970s and the adult Sylvia in 2004. Sylvia is raised as a Seventh Day Adventist and learns that although her mother is religious and attends church regularly, she's also having an affair with Mr Robert. He writes letters to Sylvia about their secret outings and her mother expects her to keep their times with Mr Robert a secret from her distant and abusive father.
Years later, Sylvia and her husband Nathan buy a beautiful, but rundown home. They hope to spend a year or so renovating, but run out of money and Sylvia loses her enthusiasm for Nathan's project. She is determined not to repeat her mother's mistakes, but one day meets Tai, the father of one of her students and they embark on their own affair with devastating consequences.
Sylvia's emotional pain and conflict about her mother's actions and choices and then her own, and the difficulties between her and her own daughter together with the crippling guilt she feels about her father's tragic death are brilliantly written. It's easy to picture her childhood and the scenary and tensions around her, and although at times this was a painful and shocking story, it was one that will stay in my mind for a while to come.
8/10
Outside The Ordinary World is published by Mira Books and is out on 17th August.
You can find out more about Dori Ostermiller here.
