Unfinished Woman (Robyn Davidson, Bloomsbury)

Robyn Davidson is perhaps best known for her novel Tracks and has a writing career spanning over 40 years. Her latest, Unfinished Woman, is a nomadic memoir that details the author’s traumatic childhood, bohemian young adulthood and lifelong travels. The book begins in 1950s outback Australia where Robyn lives as a young child with her mother, father and sister. Flashes of Robyn’s memories show readers a homely and enchanting childhood of homemade frocks, nursery rhymes and clean sheets flapping in the wind. There was adventure, too: heat, snakes, eucalyptus trees and endless time outdoors. These days are sadly shrouded in the traumatic and somewhat fragmented memory of Davidson losing her mother to suicide, a defining moment with effects that ripple through her life. The book moves back and forth through time—sleeping in parks in 1970s Sydney, living with a dear friend in the Himalayas, writing in London, and a child again in Queensland—and is very detailed in some areas and scant in others, as the author tries to squeeze a lifetime into 300 pages. It might have been more effective to choose one or two adventures and do them justice. Still, it was a moving story. Through Unfinished Woman, Davidson explores memory, learning about the people who came before you, and reckoning with tragic memories. Davidson pieces together and attempts to understand who her mother was as a person and, by extension, who she is. This is a beautiful story about finding a home wherever you go and understanding your own narrative.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Danielle Bagnato is a book reviewer and marketing and communications professional. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews