The Year of the Unexpected
by Erica Bauermeister
HarperCollins, $36.99
From the best-selling author of The School of Essential Ingredients comes a tale of seven women who have forged a bond of friendship around nothing more than the need for each other's support when life throws you something
unexpected.
At a dinner party celebrating Kate's recovery from cancer, she announces she will face death again but on her own terms: on a white-water kayaking trip through the Grand Canyon with her daughter. This inspires an unusual pact: for each friend to do something that they've always avoided doing out of fear. As guest of honour, Kate gets to choose the tasks. Although simple at face value, Kate's selections show an uncanny insight into her friends' innermost demons.
The Kindness of Your Nature
by Linda Olsson
Penguin, $40
Swedish doctor Marion Flint has created for herself a safe world. Her home on the isolated west coast beach of Kawhia is as far removed from people and her past life as she can get. One day she finds a small boy face down in the sand.