NEW RELEASE
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins (2011)
Rachel obviously thought she knew her friends better than they know themselves. Dying of cancer, she arranges for a letter to arrive after her death, challenging them to complete a task. For Kate who has settled into a conventional life as wife and mother, she has to confront her fear of heights and go skydiving. Aid worker Sarah is told to track down the man she has been unable to forget, surgeon Colin. And media high-flyer Jo is given the biggest task of all - caring for Rachel's seven-year-old daughter Grace. As the tasks shake up each of their lives, each woman finds herself taking completely unexpected risks. Written in honour of the author's own college friends, the characters came across as both endearing and genuine. It may just inspire you to step outside your comfort zone.
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship, by Lisa Verge Higgins, is about a group of women who are inspired to face their biggest fears. The summary says: "Rachel Braun was the inspiration to her group of friends, the one who lived each day to the fullest - and the one whose life was cut tragically short. Upon her untimely death, Rachel left letters for her three best friends challenging them to face their biggest fears. Sarah, an international relief worker, must travel half way around the world to track down the only man she ever loved. Stay-at-home mum Kate must confront her fear of heights by skydiving and soon finds that her new hobby is affecting her once-tranquil marriage. And Jo, a media mogul voted 'least likely to breed', is given the most terrifying assignment of all: caring for Rachel's orphaned and grieving little girl. Even as these women mourn Rachel's passing, her legacy lives on and their lives are enriched by a friend who, in many ways, knew them better than they knew themselves." The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship is out in January. For an excerpt, head to the author's website.