The Geography Of Friendship by Sally Piper Legend Press February 1st 2019
When three women set off on a hike through the wilderness they are anticipating the adventure of a lifetime. Over the next five days, as they face up to the challenging terrain, it soon becomes clear they are not alone.
Lisa, Samantha and Nicole have known each other since school. Lisa is a fighter, Samantha a peacekeeper and Nicole a rule follower. United they bring out the best in one another.
Only once it is too late for them to turn back do they appreciate the danger they are in. Their friendship is tested, and each of them must make a choice that will change their lives forever.
My Review
There is some great fiction winging its way from Australia and Sally Piper’s The Geography of Friendship is another one to add to the list.
It wasn’t your average thriller, three girls go on a hike and only two come back etc, it was more an examination of friendship, of how events can change, divide or simply destroy friendship. It was also about how we react as individuals to a traumatic occurrence and the lasting implications it can have on the trajectory of our lives.
Piper’s three main protagonists were all so different, and I think that is what made this novel so immersive and enjoyable.
Samantha, self-conscious about her weight, mother to three boys and a husband who no longer saw her, the spark no longer glowing in their marriage.
Lisa, feisty, quick-tempered, single parent and always thought that to get anywhere you literally had to fight.
Nicole was harder to get a grasp of, a loner with a hard impenetrable exterior that tweaked your interest, that made you want to know why.
Flitting between past and present, Piper immersed us in their individual thoughts, and emphasised the wide divide that stretched between them. You could sense the tension as they confronted their fears and faced up to home truths that had long laid dormant, festering just beneath the surface.
Piper beautifully intertwined the differing landscape into the story, the heat simmered from the pages as you got a feel for the growing isolation of the three women.
What made this novel so compelling was its slow burn, the sense of anticipation Piper created so that you never knew quite what would happen next. When the tension became almost too much and just when you thought you couldn’t stand anymore, bang. Piper hit you with scenes that were wonderfully dramatic and definitely well worth the wait.
I so desperately wanted them to be ok, to regain the bond that they once shared, to put the past to bed.
To find out if they did then I suggest you buy or borrow The Geography of Friendship and discover the outcome for yourself.
I would like to thank Legend Press for a copy of The Geography of Friendship to read and review and for inviting My Bookish Blogspot to participate in the blogtour.
About the author
Sally Piper is an award-winning Brisbane based writer. She is a former nurse and nurse educator, specialising in neurosurgical critical care, and has worked in both Australia and the UK.
Sally has had short fiction and non-fiction published in various online and print publications, including a prize-winning short story in the first One Book Many Brisbanes anthology, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Saturday Paper, Weekend Australian and WQ plus other literary magazines and journals in the UK. She has been interviewed for radio, been a guest panellist at literary festivals and delivered many author talks and readings.
Sally holds a Master of Arts (Research) in Creative Writing from Queensland University of Technology. During her post-graduate studies she also tutored on the QUT Creative Writing program. She currently presents workshops and seminars for the Queensland Writers’ Centre and mentors on their ‘Writer’s Surgery’ program.
Follow Sally on Twitter @SallyPiper
mybookishblogspot 
I quite like the sound of this one.
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