Book Review: Kerry Tucker Learns to Live by Louise Voss

Kerry is perfectly happy with her life. She gets up at the same time every day to deliver post to the winding lanes and little villages around where she lives, stopping for a chat at some of the houses along the way. Once a month she has Sunday lunch with her sister Beth’s perfect family, to eat roast chicken while Beth tells her why she should want more out of life.

Beth thinks Kerry is kidding herself. She thinks Kerry needs to move out of the horrible little apartment converted from the garage in their parents’ garden, find a better job, and maybe even meet a man. And now their parents’ house is up for sale, Beth is going to make sure Kerry gets a life… whether Kerry likes it or not.

Kerry knows something Beth doesn’t, though. She knows the happiest of marriages can hide dark secrets, and that even the people you love most in the world can betray you. She’s known that since she was seventeen years old, when she learned her father’s secret.

It’s far safer not to get close to people…

Review

Kerry Tucker Learns to Live is the perfect Sunday read. Easy to consume and highlighting the potential of new starts, it leaves you with a fuzzy feeling inside.

It’s hard not to like Kerry. She is a genuine, normal person. It can be hard to find an ordinary person in books. Kerry just wants the simple things in life: a nice home, her job as a postwoman, and the sense of community she feels. It’s a relief not to read about someone always looking for more (in the sense of material things). Therefore, it can be difficult to go though the downs of Kerry’s life with her. There is no denying that the conclusion of the book is somewhat obvious, but the author does a great job taking us along on Kerry’s journey until we get there.

However, while this book is for the most part lighthearted and upbeat, there are some more serious themes touched on: death, affairs, alcoholism and sexual abuse. The author does so respectfully and the entire story blends well together.

Interested in reading Kerry Tucker Learns to Live? Pick up a copy of the book here.