Review: The Fancies

Title: The Fancies

Author: Kim Lock

Publisher: 5th April 2023 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 367 pages

Genre: contemporary, Australia 

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Abigail Fancy returns to the tiny town that the Fancys have ruled for decades, fresh from her second stint in prison and utterly out of time... A bold, punchy and wry novel from the author of The Other Side of Beautiful.

A story about stories - those we tell, those we believe and those we make into a reality - whether they are true, murky or not true at all.

Port Kingerton: the insular cray-fishing town at the butt-end of South Australia, where everyone knows everyone. And everyone knows too that when Abigail Fancy left town at seventeen, she hung out the window of her boyfriend's Corolla, middle fingers held high, swearing she'd never come back. And she hasn't, until now.

At her parents' house Abigail finds a party (read: town meeting) in full swing over something iffy found on the beach - a thigh bone. And although iffy things aren't uncommon in Port Kingerton, Abigail's surprise arrival forces a family - and an entire town - to unpack a twenty-four-year-old secret that rocked this tiny place to its core: that time they found something much iffier ...

Through Abigail, her grandfather Old Dick Fancy's unreliable memories and the collective voices of the town itself, Port Kingerton unravels as old wounds are picked open, skeletons fall from closets and unlikely bonds are forged. But will Abigail finally change the past ...?

Fresh, punchy, expertly crafted and deliciously wry - the author of The Other Side of Beautiful returns with a tour de force of a small-town mystery where a homecoming lifts the veil on a time when a town failed to stand up for its girls.

My Thoughts

Kim Lock’s, The Other Side of Beautiful was one of my very favourite reads from over the past couple of years - I own it in multiple formats. So it was therefore with great anticipation that I embarked on her follow up novel, The Fancies. Whilst the writing and subtle messages are still clearly present in Kim’s writing, this was a very different sort of tale. 

‘… she was tired of running and simply would not anymore. So be it. She would stop and face it, the tidal wave of emotion, and she would deal with whatever that meant, whatever that came with.’

This is a story told from three different perspectives with larger-than-life characters. Firstly, there is Abigail just out of jail, Old Dick (Abigail's grandfather) who brings a hefty dose of humour and then 'Them' - various people from Port Kingerton in third person. This is Australiana on steroids - the dark/dry humour, the laid back mentality and culture, the shenanigans and the language (both foul and otherwise). Mysteries and secrets from the past arise and generational family rivalry stir up the town

‘Maybe they never stop being what other people say they are, and it goes on and on, generation after generation, until it’s just a town where everyone thinks they know who everyone else is, but no one knows who they really are themselves.’

Scratch the surface a bit more and by the end when all is settled, it is clear that Kim’s writing is wonderful. With themes of how people are quick to judge (especially in small rural towns) the bias towards people out of prison and the treatment of young women are just some of the issues placed under Kim’s spotlight. One of my favourites concerned Abigail and how she learned to pause and consider her reactions - not everything had to be an angry confrontation.

I have to say I am a little saddened but that is purely personal as I am just not a fan of this style of dialogue or Australian dark humour. However, if I dug a little deeper, my love for Kim’s writing and thought provoking ideas were still evident.

‘They were both searching for the exact same thing: freedom. The liberty to be whoever they really are.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Other Side of Beautiful

Title: The Other Side of Beautiful

Author: Kim Lock

Publisher: 7th July 2021 by Harlequin Australia, HQ Fiction& MIRA

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

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.

Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn't been outside that house for two years now.

Flung 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. But it turns out she can't stay there, either.

And so begins Mercy's unwilling journey. 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.

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. 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...

Exquisite, tender and wry, this is a break-out novel about facing anxiety and embracing life from an extraordinary new talent.

My Thoughts

‘How did she know? Could the woman tell, just by looking at her, that Mercy was crowded by everything? That everything - the whole world - had piled on top of her and she couldn’t breathe anymore?’

This is a brilliant story, I loved everything about it and wish I could place a copy in the hands of everyone I meet. There is sure to be something that speaks to each of you in these pages as Kim has crafted such an emotion filled story that it makes putting this book down very hard. To take this journey - literally and figuratively  - to the other side (Adelaide to Darwin … south to north of Australia) with Mercy, is everything one imagines it could be and more. 

‘Flicking on the indicator to turn right felt portentous, loaded. It felt as though she was signalling not just her intention to turn the vehicle, but admitting she was slicing open the future of her whole life. A future she had never considered.’

There are many themes that are present in this tale. Right at the forefront is panic attacks and anxiety. Then there is grief … for people, for the past and even the present. There is the theme of relationships … those just forming and those that have gone past their expiry date. Kim shines a light on the role of the media/social media in casting opinions and sensationalising issues with little consideration to those directly impacted. Then there is the theme of self esteem, evolvement and discovery. Gosh! I could go on and on! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

‘… she could find somewhere in that great in-between, that place of nuance and clarity and balance. That place where she could do her best, do what she needed to do, and not let the fear of pain and hurt, all the infinite what ifs, crowd her mind until she could do nothing…’

Now let’s talk about my little lockdown heart (which can’t venture 5km from home in any direction!) was totally immersed in the Australian Outback journey and I wish to thank Kim from the bottom of my wanderlust heart for the incredible picture painted with words of this special location. What a backdrop for this tale. I will be one of those intrepid nomads as soon as allowed and probably a Grey Nomad by the time I get there. So for now I basked in hitching my figurative caravan along with all the other vehicles to set out and see more of this great country of Australia. 

‘Silence. It was a kind of unimaginable silence—no road noise, no humming radios or electronics, not even a dog barking. Stars stretched an infinite glinting banner. A slight breeze came up but it made no sound; there were no trees to catch it, make it whistle.’

Lastly, I acknowledge Kim for writing such a profound piece of literature that had me highlighting madly. It was true, authentic and relatable. Poured from her own nervous breakdown (no longer called such, but yes it is very much a breaking of sorts) she brings to life the tale of Mercy and there is much to relate to through both feelings and experiences. You will laugh, you will cry …. so go on! Lose yourself in these pages, cheer for Mercy, bask in a Red Centre sunset, share a wine with some amazing characters and make the journey to the other side, the beautiful other side.

‘For almost three thousand kilometres, this little van had carried her across the country, trying its best to get her to the other side … Mercy looked out the window. ‘Be here now,’ she said. Wherever you ARE.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.