Title: Where the Road Bends

Author: David Rawlings

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Genre: Christian Fiction

Synopsis: Fifteen years after college graduation, four friends reconnect to keep a long-ago promise and go on a trip of a lifetime in the Australian Outback.

Eliza needs to disconnect from her high-powered fashion job to consider the CEO position she’s just been offered. Lincoln hopes to rekindle a past relationship and escape from another one. Bree looks forward to a fun getaway from home and her deeply buried disappointments. Andy wants to disappear from the mess he’s made of his life—possibly forever.

Dropped at a campsite in the middle of nowhere, the friends quickly discover they aren’t the same people they once were, and they begin to confront hard truths about one another—and themselves. Then a bizarre storm sweeps across their camp, scattering them across the desert. Wondering if they are part of some strange escape game, each of the friends meets a guide to help them find exactly what they need: purpose, healing, courage, and redemption.

But they’ve already traveled far down the road of life and course-correcting to become the people they were meant to be won’t be easy.

My Thoughts

Where The Road Bends is the first book I have read by David Rawlings. His style of writing is something I do not think I have encountered before; it is very compelling and thought-provoking. He is a native to Australia and it shows in his writing, he has a way of describing the outback that makes me think I am there, covered in the endless red dust.

The Characters

After reading the synopsis for the book, you know that it is about four college friends meeting up again after years apart. It sounds fun, yet the challenges that these friends must go through are anything but fun. All four characters are described as if you are getting to know a long-lost friend, catching up with the events of the last ten years, and as if there was no time separation between you. It is very engaging and easy to follow the character’s interactions with each other. I enjoyed getting the background on the characters, and the details about their present lives; it shaped the characters and brought them to life. Each character’s unique story brought forth a good array of life’s challenges from success as a parent, feelings of being lonely even when being surrounded by a sea of people, to the feeling of drowning under life’s choices and not knowing the correct path to take. I enjoyed seeing the differences in the characters, it made for an interesting read.

Setting the Scene.

Talk about cultural immersion! David Rawlings brought Australia to life with his vivid descriptions of the climate, landscape, native food options, and history of the area. I enjoyed hearing about some of the misconceptions people have about the Australian culture, it is helpful to know, that way when I go there someday (It is on my bucket list), I won’t be a total tourist 😊. I also enjoyed how David Rawlings laid out his plot, he built it up and ended with a great climax and a hard life lesson.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, for the vivid Australia life descriptions, the great array of characters, and for teaching some honest life lessons that we all need to hear. The only thing that would have made it better in my opinion, is finding out the end to the character’s stories. However, I think that David Rawlins’s style of writing leans toward realism, and in real life, we do not know always get to know the outcome of something. We are just along for the journey.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest opinion. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

About the Author

David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father of three who loves humor and a clever turn of phrase. Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication. Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face.

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