- Paperback: 260 pages
- Publisher: Inanna Poetry and Fiction Series (Sep 15 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1926708245
- ISBN-13: 978-1926708249
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #45,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Emotionally battered and bruised, 29-year-old Australian immigrant Benny is looking for escape, not redemption. Escape from herself and the dismal failures of her life: her first solo art exhibition is panned by critics and her husband left her for an Andy Warhol look-alike. Isolated from her family, her career as an abstract artist in ruins, she comes to Canada and finds solace working eighteen hours a day as a graphic designer in a disreputable agency. Numbing her pain with hard work, she self-medicates with prescription meds, and becomes involved in a series of increasingly dubious relationships with ill-suited unreliable men who lead her into danger. Cutting off all ties with normalized daily routines, Benny leaves her job and sets off on a road trip adventure across Canada, hoping she will discover who she wants to be and where she wants to be it. During the bus trip she discovers junk food, cigarettes, hash and drinks a lot of alcohol. She confuses sexual attraction with love in a series of relationships with loser bad boys and continues to put herself in destructive, potentially dangerous situations. Hardcore, she travels for the most part by Greyhound bus, sinking deeper into the underbelly of a world that offers her the anonymity she seeks. Funny, aggressive, fearless and vulnerable, Benny is a road-warrior with a backpack of opiates, a map and a guileless sense of naiveté. In seventy-two days, she travels nearly ten thousand miles overland and more by flight and train; she’s a determined modern-day pioneer. This coming-of-age novel is narrated with wry humour and filled with a cast of engaging characters. A tale of sexual adventure and feminist learning, Benny looks for escape but emerges a heroine instead; with mistakes, epiphanies and friendships helping forge her a home and a sense of identity in the true North.
About the Author
Born in South Africa, Lisa de Nikolits has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy. She has lived and worked all over the world, and has art directed on magazines such as marie claire, Vogue, Vogue Living and Cosmopolitan. Her fiction has been published in the anthologies Stories from Our Black Book and Simply the Best. Her prize-winning poetry was published in The Boy from New Brunswick. Her first novel, Single Girls Go Mad Sooner, was published in 1995. She lives in Toronto.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Personal Excursion,
By
This review is from: West of Wawa (Paperback)
The book, WEST OF WAWA by Lisa de Nikolits, was an easy read which I really like when I don't have a lot of time and thought to give a book. As a matter of fact, this would be a great beach read for the summer.Benny, the main character, works through some life obstacles that left her reeling as she travels through Canada. In a couple of places there are some cliches that were a bit annoying BUT the author uses Benny to address that fact that she's aware of them as cliches thus creating the point that, sometimes, a cliche is just what we need to accurately describe a situation or how we feel. While there are some descriptive scenes of the Canadian landscape on her excursion, I got all caught up in Benny's personal excursion. Why? Well, maybe she walks around in a cloud of destruction; maybe she doesn't. Maybe she makes some dangerous choices; maybe she doesn't. Maybe she wakes up and smells the coffee; maybe she doesn't. Maybe she has a storybook ending; maybe she doesn't. Looking for the perfect summer read? Give WEST OF WAWA a try!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising journey of a woman,
By
This review is from: West of Wawa (Paperback)
My review:West of Wawa was an interesting read. It was well written, I truly enjoyed the writing style and the language what was used for storytelling. West of Wawa is definitely worth of reading, especially if you like road novels. Regarding the plot: The novel is so much more than just a road trip. You meet Benny, a woman is very close to getting 30 years old and the book takes you to Benny's trip to finding out who she really is. After an unsuccessful relationship Australian woman called Benny decides to to take trip through Canada. During the 72 days long trip she encounters with other interesting persons, makes friends, gets abused and finally finds herself. What I enjoyed about the book was the fact, that you got a very captivating into one woman's life, to her inner thoughts, doubts, dreams, nightmares, wishes. The book did not concentrate only to the trip through Canada, but the main emphasis was on Benny and her growth. Regarding the characters: I really enjoyed Benny. She was not always very likable or lovable and she was quite selfish, but she was also a wonderful woman who could pass her troubles and grow and love. I think the author did a very good job with Benny. Generally: West of Wawa is a story which is interesting, you are taken through a journey of a woman finding herself and that journey is captivating! Definitely a very good book to read! 4 stars
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful journey!,
By Lorry-Ann Austin (Kamloops, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: West of Wawa (Paperback)
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found Benny's journey across our great land to be both thought provoking and ultimately inspiring. I enjoyed the familiarity of many of the places she visits and loved her interpretation of the Canadian landscape. Benny notes at one point how easy it is to take a wrong turn in life - a message that should resonate with us all. I highly recommend De Nikolits' wonderful novel and look forward to reading more from her in the future.
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