A Year Out

by Beverley Coghlan

After twenty-four years in the property industry, Anne Shannon takes to the road in a campervan with her husband, Granville. As they set off on their journey around the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa, she does not know how she will cope without the frenetic activity of her high-powered career. Granville is in his element, thoroughly enjoying the gypsy experience, but Anne, not an enthusiastic camper, is challenged by simple daily chores. After a while, Anne realizes she has a unique opportunity to unwind, reflect and also to grieve for her daughter, Lucy, killed in South Africa. A Year Out weaves back and forth from present to past, allowing moving and poignant glimpses of Anne's childhood in apartheid-controlled South Africa and, later, incidents throughout her life that draw us into her private world. It is an absorbing story told as if she were sharing secrets with a friend over coffee.

168 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2005