But, I can certainly attest to why The Other Side of Beautiful earned spots on many readers’ Best Books of 2021 lists.

I may be a year late to the party, only now getting a chance to read Kim Lock’s breakout novel. But what was Mercy hiding from in her house? And why is Eugene desperate to have her back in the city? They say you can’t run forever…Įxquisite, tender and wry, this is a break-out novel about facing anxiety and embracing life from an extraordinary new talent.ĭisclosure: If you click a link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. On the road, through badly timed breakdowns, gregarious troupes of grey nomads, and run-ins with a rogue adversary, Mercy’s carefully constructed walls start crumbling. After the chance purchase of a cult classic campervan (read tiny, old and smelly), with the company of her sausage dog, Wasabi, and a mysterious box of cremated remains, Mercy heads north from Adelaide to Darwin. But it turns out she can’t stay there either.Īnd so begins Mercy’s unwilling journey. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn’t been outside that house for two years.įlung out into the world she’s been studiously ignoring, Mercy goes to the only place she can: her not-quite-ex-husband Eugene’s house.

Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Afghanistan, Alaska/Hawaii, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, US Protectorates, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Virgin Islands (U.S.What happens when fate says ‘go’? Lost & Found meets The Rosie Project in a stunning break-out novel where a vulnerable misfit is forced to re-engage with the world, despite her best efforts.

Peace, Love and Khaki Socks by Kim Lock