Title: Where Do We Go From Here?

By:  Nick Alexander

ISBN: 9781836184997 (ISBN10: 1836184999)

Website: http://www.nick-alexander.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:

I remind myself that I wanted this break. For the first time in years, I am completely, blissfully alone. But as the days’ pass, I begin to realise a painful truth. For years I’ve been telling a story about my life – a story that stopped me from falling apart. But what if I have the chance to re-write it?

Wendy is a devoted wife and mother who has spent years working as a nurse, helping those in need. But with Wendy’s children flying the nest and her marriage hanging by a thread, she realises that she’s never really asked herself what she wants.

So, she decides to rent a remote cabin in France where she can spend her days in nature, away from everything she has ever known, to try and answer the what next?

Arriving at her new home, a rustic cabin with intermittent power, Wendy starts to regret her decision. Her retreat suddenly looks so very different from the dream. With no one else to care for or talk to, Wendy is forced to confront something she’s tried her best to the real reason her family is falling apart. But is she strong enough to face it alone?

And then, just when she’s hitting rock bottom, seemingly with nowhere to turn, she discovers that help can come from the most unlikely places. Wendy thought she knew how her story would end but she’s learning that this is only the beginning. (Goodreads)

Review:

Where Do We Go From Here? is the first book by Nick Alexander that I have read. My only question at this point in time is…why have I not read any books by this author? Well, I shall rectify that in the future –  that is a given. This book had me run the gamut of emotions… a very well told story which had me thinking long and hard about the protagonists’ journey that she took.

Where Do We Go From Here? Is the story of Wendy (a nurse, mother and wife) as she contemplates life now that COVID is over, her children have grown and moved out and her marriage is hanging by a thread. Wendy embarks upon a soulful journey by renting a remote and rustic cabin in France and goes there to contemplate what is next in her life. Each day she learns more about herself, how she got to this stage of her life and what she wants for the future. Well, sort of. It is a mixed up kind of journey one has when they are soul searching…Regardless – the story is definitely engaging and had this reader thinking about Wendy’s journey.

We see Wendy develop a relationship with the postwoman even though they are quite different. Wendy also has seen to it that she has very little interaction with her husband and two kids. I suspect this both helped and hindered her self reflection and her future wants. It is so often the case that women have these struggles when we give up one thing for another (perhaps the wanting to stay home with our kids as they grow up versus the necessity of having to work to sustain a reasonable quality of life).

Wendy’s journey is up and down and it made this reader laugh and cry at times. I found it emotionally draining when Wendy was discovering (or actually acknowledging) some very hard truths about her behaviour. When she also confronted her addiction, loss of her mother and the fact that she was becoming an empty nester AND that she was disconnected from the love of her life – her husband.

I was impressed by the writing of Nick Alexander – he wrote such relatable women. And the fact that he was able to relay this woman at her lowest and the journey back again was on point. 
If you only read one women’s fiction book this year – I highly suggest Where Do We Go From Here?. It will be an emotional ride (it was for me), but well worth the effort.