Tiny: A memoir about love, letting go and a very small house (Louise Southerden, Hardie Grant Explore)

Award-winning travel writer Louise Southerden’s first memoir, Tiny, tackles some big topics. Ostensibly an account of her experience of building a tiny house with her partner, Max, Tiny is so much more. It’s a sophisticated exploration of love, self-love and the complexities of the human condition, alongside an intricate insight into the world of tiny houses. We meet Southerden when she’s at a crossroads in her life. At age 48, she is lost, burned out from over 25 years of travel writing, and she wants to stop. When she spends two weeks alone in a small, isolated Norwegian cabin, she realises she wants to live like that forever. With a desire to ‘live simply, quietly and sustainably’, she builds her tiny home with Max. Things were idyllic for a while before the pandemic hit, ending their honeymoon period and shaking every foundation in sight. While it is stressful to read about their rickety relationship of impossible rifts and joyous reunions, alongside the eight-month house build, it is also refreshingly real. However, this book is not only about soul searching; Tiny also gives fascinating practical insights into the building process and the quirky complications of tiny builds. For fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray Love and Sarah Wilson’s First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, or anyone curious about building a tiny house (and a relationship), Tiny is sure to make a significant impression on your heart and mind.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Michelle Atkins is a communications professional and published educational author. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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