Review

A Far Flung Life is the second book by M.L Stedman and has been a long time coming since her debut novel, The Light Between Oceans, was published in twelve years ago. This book is set mainly on a sheep station in the Australian Outback in the late 1950s and we are introduced to the MacBride family who have run the place for generations. As the story opens, Phil MacBride and his two sons, twenty-two-year-old Warren and eighteen-year-old Matt, are on their way to the nearest town when they are involved in an accident that leaves Matt as the sole survivor. Suffering from serious head injuries, Matt isn’t initially expected to live but he slowly regains his strength to return home.

As the only surviving son, Matt soon realises that the life he was dreamed of having away from the sheep station has been destroyed by the accident as his mother and sister need him to take over the running of the place. Lorna, devastated by the loss of her husband, has put her own grief on hold to concentrate on the welfare of her remaining son and her daughter, Rosie, who has a wildness to her. Just as things are looking up, another incident occurs that will have far-reaching consequences on the family and lead to further tragedies.

A decade later, the station is threatened by a mining company who begins exploring the land for rare minerals. Like countless others, the MacBrides lease their land from the government and have no rights over what lies beneath it, so they cannot object to the presence of the miners. Luckily for the MacBrides, this particular exploration is being run by a young geologist, Bonnie Edquist, who has a lot of respect for the land and she forms a close relationship with Matt. However, long-buried secrets doom the romance from the start and it seems Matt is destined to never find peace.

A Far-Flung Life is not the happiest of books and is almost akin to a Greek tragedy as the MacBride family reel from one traumatic blow to another in one of the harshest settings in the world. The descriptions of what life is like on a large sheep station is vividly described and a fascinating insight into life in the outback where droughts and floods can be devastating in equal measures. The MacBrides have managed to make a living from the land for decades through sheer hard work and paying attention to Mother Nature. However, the loss of the patriarch, Phil MacBride, and the heir apparent, Warren, is something they could never have foreseen. However, the MacBride women have mettle of their own and they step up to the plate.

There are a lot of uncomfortable incidents in this book, one in particular that may alienate readers, but you can’t help being drawn into the lives of these characters as they are so well drawn. Beyond the family itself, we are introduced to other characters who observe things from a distance and come to their own conclusions, rightly or wrongly, about what is going on at the MacBride place. One such character, Pete Peachey, a former prisoner of war, is employed on the station as a kangaroo hunter and he forges a different bond with the various MacBrides. Peachey seems to understand them all better than they do themselves and he is privy to some big secrets, however he never judges them.

As we get into the second decade, we are introduced to more characters in town, particularly Myrtle who likes nothing better than attending funerals and keeping track of the cause of death. While it would be easy to dismiss Myrtle as a busybody, she has a big secret of her own which paints her in a more sympathetic light. Then there is the new policeman in town who is set on clearing up some of the anomalies in the old files and doesn’t care who he hurts in the process. He comes very close to discovering a big MacBride secret before his stint in the town comes to an end. It’s quite hard to see where these people fit into the overall story but they are a welcome addition.

The story jumps ahead once more but I’m not going to give any more details so as not to spoil things but the MacBrides have to move with the times if they are to survive and comprises have to be made. Some friends are lost, while others are found again. This book is an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you reeling but it is ultimately a satisfying read and you will grow to love this family.