Wish You Were Here Book Review

Author: Sheridan Jobbins
Publisher: Hachette Australia, Affirm Press
Genre: Nonfiction (Adult) , Women’s Fiction <— according to Netgalley
Publication date: 29 August 2017

Wish You Were Here cannot decide….

It cannot decide if it wants to be a nonfiction or a fiction story, but while it decides we can talk about how the book makes me laugh.

When Sheridan found her husband of almost ten years having an affair, she does what us girls in Australia dreams of doing: going to America. Not only she went there, the lass bought a car and drove on the right side of the road! Australia drives on the left side of the road, by the way. So that would have been terribly confusing for the first few days.

She didn’t get killed, rather she cried and worried her way through from Grand Canyon to New York. Alone, sad and scared, Sheridan reveals titbits about her as the reader takes the journey with her. There are a lot of wisdom imparted, she is like Obiwan to me. Because if I ever travel to the land of Great Promise, Wish You Were Here will be like my travel guide.

I get to read some of the stories about Navajo, and she also includes bits of history for the semi- random places she went to. Her relationship problems does not really take a back seat, because Pig her husband is the reason why decided that life is too short.

The Part where she found love

While trying to find herself, she found love. From reading the book, I can sort of understand her point of view. It is not like her relationship is salvageable, but somehow when she found the courage to love herself. Finding love is like a bonus round life gives you, prior to that every girl think that they only have one Prince Charming.  When we decided to say: “screw you life, I’m going to be my own Queen”, the Universe panics and out comes another Prince.

Well, I know now if my marriage ever ends, that is what I will do. Not going to America, but adopt that mentality.

Verdict

I manged to finish reading Wish You Were Here in one go, a feat because I have enjoyed every bit of it. I like the book for its honesty, I am sure that this book was a cathartic experience for the author. Reading it affirms a lot of things for me, even though I am not in the same boat as her, the doubts are fairly similar.

In the end, I enjoyed this book because it is honest and terribly funny. It is well written. Done in the first person point of view, it shares a lot of insight and the journey towards self- acceptance is touching.

Definitely recommend it for the laughs.

Copyright © 2017 Ailyn Writes. All Rights Reserved.