The transportation to the outback and introspection were equally balanced in this heartening story.
Feature image credit: Allen & Unwin
“Would I have been happier if I hadn’t been bitten by the travel bug, and was instead satisfied with a ‘normal’ life, doing the things society deemed normal?”
If you resonate with the above quote by author Sophie Matterson, then you will love her debut novel The Crossing. Not satisfied with the status quo, this is the memoir of her journey from Shark Bay, the most western point of Australia, to Byron Bay, its most eastern point, with her five camels through the desert and outback. Although the trail adventure is the surface narrative, there are many other elements to the plot.
Vicariously, you will be transported to the beauty of the diverse Australian landscape and all its challenges, be it due to the changing terrain or the elements. This makes this a story about resilience, life and death, overcoming fear, finding one’s power, trusting the kindness of strangers, and changing your expectations.
Her empowerment grows as she battles the elements of the external world with her beloved five camels. I found the details about the camels, their personalities, their needs, and the funny list of fears that she cannot ever work out an unexpected education. Matterson has dedicated the book to Jude, her lead camel, and the one with whom she felt most connected.
For her internal world, it is a story about love, regretting the choice she made, trying to patch things up too late, letting go, appreciating the past, moving on, and unforeseeably, finding love again. With unwavering honesty, she reveals all of her imperfections in these parallel stories, as she simultaneously battles the physical and mental spaces of her life.
It is not until near the end of her novel when people query why she undertook the journey that she ponders the question of the alternate life she could have had, if it were her nature, and if working and staying at home watching television were enough to quell her appetite.
Well written and split into two parts, each chapter is segmented with camel stamps, making it easy to read, and suitable for many audiences. There are also several pockets of humour scattered in this story, which you will fully understand if you are slightly introverted and recharge through nature, solo, or with a partner. The Crossing is the type of story that appeals on many sensory levels, with just enough comic relief to break the intensity.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Allen & Unwin
Released: May 2023
RRP: $34.99
