Book Review: THE BED I MADE By Lucie Whitehouse

Date: Tuesday 23^rd March 2010 |

Weather Townsville 25C - 30C. Shower or two.

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Bad bed hair

March 20th, 2010

THE BED I MADE By Lucie Whitehouse
Bloomsbury $32.99

THIS is Lucie Whitehouse's second novel and brings out a few twists, strong character development, and the way it is written never really delves into the actual subject too deeply. Rather it just weaves in and around it, staying on the periphery of its existence and in turn keeps you hanging. You won't be able to put this down for too long, as it tells the tale of Kate trying to put her life in order.

Kate flees on a whim to an island off the coast of the UK after a stormy relationship turns bad. She associates the island with the good times she spent there as child with her father and brother in the summer. This time, though, the island's remoteness in the winter leads to introspection, an obsession with a woman who disappears in rough seas shortly after she arrives, and the realisation that nothing over the eighteen months she spent with her boyfriend was actually normal.

Whitehouse writes lightly on the subject of abuse in this relationship, Kate and the reader never really know whether it is abusive, or actually normal, until the end. For some readers this may cause difficulty getting through the book, creeping them out as the plot develops, for others it's seeing a runaway train that will certainly end up crashing. Stay with it though, we all need a happy ending in these types of relationships.

In a word: Solid

New starts/possibilities

With aching fingers, I type this post up in the once lounge room/now study; it took all day to move 3 rooms, which resulted in bad backs, aching fingers, weighed down shoulders, one smashed picture and the loss of our bond as couches somehow made grooves in the wood floor, thank gawd we are not furniture removal its.

The lounge is now in the once master bedroom and that bedroom is now in the old study and its FANTASTIC, it feels like a new house and I swear has opened up new flows of chi throughout the whole space from study through to dining room and the kitchen and the now new lounge room.

Our new bedroom is sooo much more cosy and has a beaut new plant in there too. Moving rooms is always a great chance to get a new plant :).

The timing of this weekend coming up too move was perfect as we got the letter about a new lease with only a $10 a week increase in rent - if it had been more, i don't know what we would have done.

Back to work tomorrow - not sure how that will go, went for an interview last week, I believe i didn't interview well, but i never do. I hope i get the job for many many reasons, not much more money involved but a more intense and longer cycling commute would be involved which is awesome and i would be supporting 1 person and not many and she seems really cool, I got good vibes from it. I think the job could be mine, but who knows.

Fingers crossed hey!

I don't know

There is a strange feeling in the air, the light seems too bright, I'm not sure if it's because I have had a cold on and off now for nearly 2 weeks or maybe I'm going crazy, but things feel just plain different somehow, I'm trying to ease myself into this year nice and slow but alas I feel like I'm in a jet ramming my way in.

CTBBTO said to me last week when i kissed him ooh your back, this is good, so he is another man I scare the shit out of. I guess I should be happy that there was discussion in there somewhere after the kiss.

I swear I don't even try; as in to scare, I'm just me, I don't think I go "away" at least not intentionally.

I guess maybe the light is off because I have not really slept for 5 nights - I miss that deep deep sleep.

Does anyway else go "away"? Don't we all just get a little "lost"...

i'm mising the romance, the dresses, the shoes. although i'm also missing Jas too and romance. Watching SITC re-runs - i wonder, after knowing that we could pick up where we left off that if I made a big mistake....he's know longer my friend either i hurt, miss him - is that honest enough?

Trying to be in the moment and failing miserably

this week has been weird, i have really wanted to hire a person so that they may live my life so i may just forget about responsibilities, love, work and other "real" people. I wanted to stand still and absorb and to write, write and write.

I miss Melbourne, gray cold days and snuggling in my doona, entering out into the world wrapped in the warm seduction of my favorite winter coat and my lingerie silky on my skin many layers beneath, the luxury of trams and trains, the smells, the grey sunless city, the people.

FNQ has much to offer but none of things i hold dear, no snuggling to be had, coats of any description is out, lingerie is ridiculous - it's too hot.

I'm whinging? Who cares, okay okay whine over.

i attached a picture of a little owl out in daylight (see that blue sky!),
he's a really cool dude.


and close up (what ya lookin' at?):


Ants galore too this week, i wish i had taken a shot, they were pooled around the sink in the bathroom at work, it's like what the? All over my desk too, a few an hour and on my telephone and no i don't eat on my telephone.

It's nice and warm and GREY out, smells of rain too coming (hence the ants), gawd i miss grey skies.

bye.

Meet ya Molly Malones

Went to dinner last night, had the crumbed steak it was good a little light on the chips big on the salad dressing, CTBBTO had lasagna it was cold but looked good and tasted ok, would have been grand if it had been hot. I think they have had a change in management though a few key meals under $10 have gone up, one to 15.50 which is a little wrong and the atmosphere was very quite i think they have taken off the great backpacker meals and if they have - what were they thinking??

Having been in there in the past it was a sight to see; the starving backpacker wolf down his/her meal.

It's MONDAY, nah it's actually Friday, woo hoo, not much planned this weekend, a ride possibly some swimming and pick up the SITC movie dvd!

Wrting group on too.

Not sure how that will go down bringing SITC The Movie into the house, we are slowly and i mean SlOWLy going through the whole serious and CTBBTO hasn't only seen a few episodes.

URG - better run!

Get off my shoulders

still grumpy about CTBBTO ruining the pasta last night, who in there right mind would think pasta needs to be chewed... LIKE STEAK?

Felix da cat was off on serious adventures this morning, I thought he had a date, which is weird for him being desexed and all but i found him in the grass 6 houses up and opposite by the railway line and when i called his name he looked up with a really mental faraway look in his eye, i was a little astonished and I wondered if I should try that out, roll around in the grass 6 houses up.

Obviously our grass in our yard is not good enough for him anymore.

My shoulders are really sore and i still have indigestion and i'm craving lasgane.

I'm trying to think it's Monday still so Friday will came quicker and as a real suprise, but it's pay day and that kind of thinking is not working.

The boss is muttering damn and fuck loud enough for me to hear. This is a wierd place, i'm in a weird place, a cyclist decided to do something "new" today; ride with his head down, URGH but a good note i got to see his nostril hair as i rode past.

my front tyre is nearly flat. urg.