Review: The Long Weekend by Fiona Palmer

Title: The Long Weekend

Published: 1st December 2021, Hachette Australia

Status: Read December 2021 courtesy Hachette Australia

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My Thoughts:

In the contemporary new release from Fiona Palmer, The Long Weekend, four strangers attend a writing workshop retreat in southern Western Australia run by a bestselling author.

Wife and mother Alice, wants advice on crafting a memoir she hopes will reach women who share her experience of motherhood.

Simone, an Instagram influencer, has been contracted to write a book about her inspirational weight loss journey.

Buff gym owner Jamie, the only male, is coy about his aspirations.

Single mother Beth has come to the retreat at the urging of her sister Poppy, but what she wants to learn from their facilitator, Jan Goldstein, is not something that can be taught.

A largely character driven story, The Long Weekend explores several themes including trauma, loss, forgiveness, redemption, and self discovery. Prompted by a writing exercise, the five protagonists confront and let go of the secrets, mistakes and insecurities that haunt them. There is a lot of emotion in their individual stories, touching on a range of contemporary social issues, which Palmer handles sensitively.

There’s some drama between the characters. Alice and Jamie aren’t strangers after all, though they haven’t seen each other for years, Simone oversteps with her Instagram obsession, and Beth can barely hide her contempt for Jan. Even though it’s not terribly realistic, I liked the romance that flared between two of the protagonists. The connection that forms between all of the characters was more convincing, and I particularly enjoyed the epilogue.

The Long Weekend is an engaging and ultimately uplifting novel, an easy afternoon’s read.

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