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Beyond Home: A daughter's journey to Burma in search of her father's past
Can a tyrant get away with murder? Will a naïve woman overturn a government? Solve the mystery in this action adventure and family saga. If you are a fan of fast-paced, action adventure that combines corruption and murder with a family saga, then 'Beyond Home' is for you.
Beyond Home has been called a "terrific story" by critics. In it, Robin Bower delivers a solid and well-plotted mystery.
On her father’s death, wayward Eve Robinson discovers a diary that reveals his life was a not quite what it appeared to be. He has not just been a public servant in Australia, but has a mysterious dark past in Burma far from Australian shores. Why did he lie to her? What really happened to her mother?
Eve embarks on a thrilling journey to Burma to discover who her father was. On the way, she becomes involved in a kidnap, political intrigue, corruption and murder. She forges an unlikely bond with a charismatic Burmese soldier who will do anything to become the leader. What starts as an accident, turns into a crusade as Eve treks the road to rediscover the father she thought she knew and along the way, uncovers a corrupt tyrant prepared to kill for power.
Searing, exhilarating and topical, Beyond Home puts a new spin on the family saga with hidden secrets and political intrigue.
>˃˃˃ A Terrific Story About a Young Woman's Search for her Father “What's really great about 'Beyond Home', apart, that is, from being a terrific story and easy to read, is that it's set in an exotic part of the world that most of us know little about. So, as I follow Eve in her search for the father she never really knew and share fears of kidnapping, corruption and murder I discover something about Myanmar — what used to be Burma. This is really an unputdownable novel.” John Harman, author, ghostwriter, scriptwriter
>˃˃˃ What the readers say
You will keep reading this exotic story set in Burma to discover the hidden family secrets. Great characterisation, adventurous plot with the added touch of romance will ensure its success. You must try it!
Great read from a new Australian author!
This is an intriguing book full of family secrets, politics and adventure set in an exotic location. The story follows the central character, Eve, from Perth to Burma in a quest to uncover the mysteries of her father's past. 'Beyond Home' reminded me of a Bryce Courtney novel with its mix of history, travelogue and romance. Well worth a read!
A well-written, carefully composed and intriguing novel. A pleasure to read. Sometimes the reader will feel "predictability" (falling in love with captor, missing sister, long lost mother…) though the whole story and all events are incredible and, well, unpredictable
Beyond Home has been called a "terrific story" by critics. In it, Robin Bower delivers a solid and well-plotted mystery.
On her father’s death, wayward Eve Robinson discovers a diary that reveals his life was a not quite what it appeared to be. He has not just been a public servant in Australia, but has a mysterious dark past in Burma far from Australian shores. Why did he lie to her? What really happened to her mother?
Eve embarks on a thrilling journey to Burma to discover who her father was. On the way, she becomes involved in a kidnap, political intrigue, corruption and murder. She forges an unlikely bond with a charismatic Burmese soldier who will do anything to become the leader. What starts as an accident, turns into a crusade as Eve treks the road to rediscover the father she thought she knew and along the way, uncovers a corrupt tyrant prepared to kill for power.
Searing, exhilarating and topical, Beyond Home puts a new spin on the family saga with hidden secrets and political intrigue.
>˃˃˃ A Terrific Story About a Young Woman's Search for her Father “What's really great about 'Beyond Home', apart, that is, from being a terrific story and easy to read, is that it's set in an exotic part of the world that most of us know little about. So, as I follow Eve in her search for the father she never really knew and share fears of kidnapping, corruption and murder I discover something about Myanmar — what used to be Burma. This is really an unputdownable novel.” John Harman, author, ghostwriter, scriptwriter
>˃˃˃ What the readers say
You will keep reading this exotic story set in Burma to discover the hidden family secrets. Great characterisation, adventurous plot with the added touch of romance will ensure its success. You must try it!
Great read from a new Australian author!
This is an intriguing book full of family secrets, politics and adventure set in an exotic location. The story follows the central character, Eve, from Perth to Burma in a quest to uncover the mysteries of her father's past. 'Beyond Home' reminded me of a Bryce Courtney novel with its mix of history, travelogue and romance. Well worth a read!
A well-written, carefully composed and intriguing novel. A pleasure to read. Sometimes the reader will feel "predictability" (falling in love with captor, missing sister, long lost mother…) though the whole story and all events are incredible and, well, unpredictable
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2014
11 people want to read
About the author
Robin Bower
10 books11 followersRobin Bower is a writer and editor based in Perth, Western Australia. She holds postgraduate qualifications in education, editing and publishing, and creative writing. Her career spans educational publishing in Melbourne, international magazine editing in Hong Kong, and publications management in the Western Australian State Government.
She is the author of two self-published books (Beyond Home and My River Sanctuary) and a travel-memoir project, part of a broader series exploring place and sensory experience (Senses of Paris, Senses of Morocco and Senses of Italy).
Robin shares her creative work and photography through her Substack, Imagine Write Create (https://rbpublishing1.substack.com), her website www.rb-publishing.com, and on Instagram @rbpublishing_. She continues to develop projects through RB Publishing that explore place, story, and visual narrative.
She is the author of two self-published books (Beyond Home and My River Sanctuary) and a travel-memoir project, part of a broader series exploring place and sensory experience (Senses of Paris, Senses of Morocco and Senses of Italy).
Robin shares her creative work and photography through her Substack, Imagine Write Create (https://rbpublishing1.substack.com), her website www.rb-publishing.com, and on Instagram @rbpublishing_. She continues to develop projects through RB Publishing that explore place, story, and visual narrative.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 19, 2015
Beyond Home starts with a mystery that continues throughout the length of the novel. Eve, the main character, is a PhD bound horticulturist turned gardener for the elderly. Her life has taken a few unexpected turns that leave her wondering about her own past and the secret life of her father. Along the way, author Robin Bower includes many other side stories that eventually weave together. From the desert heat of Australia to the jungles of Burma, the reader is transported along with Eve to unfamiliar territory.
While initially it may seem that Eve is looking to solve the mystery of her father, it becomes apparent that the reader will not be receiving any quick answers. Bower’s journalistic style of short, choppy sentences leads the reader slowly towards clarity. While her characters at times seem underdeveloped, the story makes up for this in an abundance of mystery and intrigue. Readers will be constantly guessing as they make their way through the novel, being told what Eve is feeling rather than shown, which leaves them in a position to draw their own conclusions. In addition, Eve’s emotions seem to come out of nowhere, as the reader is left guessing why she’s so often in tears. Rather than coming to understand Eve’s motives, readers are left wondering how she draws the conclusions she comes to from what other characters say; this makes it difficult at times to follow the logic behind most of the dialogue or plot.
Bower seems to have stretched herself thin by incorporating too many characters whose back stories are tied together in a flimsy, thrown together game of connect the dots. It’s implied that Eve is searching for answers and along the way encounters past friends of her father, a revolutionary leader, a young man searching for power, a girl who wants a higher place in her household, farmers who have been relocated, and more. All of these stories eventually weave together, and the reader will be relieved at the end to finally understand Eve’s strange history. The perspective switches constantly, which provides an insight into many layers of the story. While jumping from different characters can get confusing, it would be impossible to understand the motives of every character without their inner dialogue. By the end of the novel, readers can expect surprise, heartbreak, and discovery.
Nikki Toner
Apex Reviews
While initially it may seem that Eve is looking to solve the mystery of her father, it becomes apparent that the reader will not be receiving any quick answers. Bower’s journalistic style of short, choppy sentences leads the reader slowly towards clarity. While her characters at times seem underdeveloped, the story makes up for this in an abundance of mystery and intrigue. Readers will be constantly guessing as they make their way through the novel, being told what Eve is feeling rather than shown, which leaves them in a position to draw their own conclusions. In addition, Eve’s emotions seem to come out of nowhere, as the reader is left guessing why she’s so often in tears. Rather than coming to understand Eve’s motives, readers are left wondering how she draws the conclusions she comes to from what other characters say; this makes it difficult at times to follow the logic behind most of the dialogue or plot.
Bower seems to have stretched herself thin by incorporating too many characters whose back stories are tied together in a flimsy, thrown together game of connect the dots. It’s implied that Eve is searching for answers and along the way encounters past friends of her father, a revolutionary leader, a young man searching for power, a girl who wants a higher place in her household, farmers who have been relocated, and more. All of these stories eventually weave together, and the reader will be relieved at the end to finally understand Eve’s strange history. The perspective switches constantly, which provides an insight into many layers of the story. While jumping from different characters can get confusing, it would be impossible to understand the motives of every character without their inner dialogue. By the end of the novel, readers can expect surprise, heartbreak, and discovery.
Nikki Toner
Apex Reviews
December 9, 2015
The story ended too soon
I didn't get a lot done while I was reading this book. It kept me wondering what would happen next. Some of the questions about characters make me think there should be a book 2.
I didn't get a lot done while I was reading this book. It kept me wondering what would happen next. Some of the questions about characters make me think there should be a book 2.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews