Both Feet In Paradise

Local Description

GOOD BOOKS Staff Review
It’s not often a novel genuinely takes me by surprise, and Both Feet in Paradise  surprised me in two ways: one, the confidence and beauty of the writing, and two, the plot.

The writing is a delight. Andy has an exceptional talent for description, and a lovely compassion for his characters, particularly Adam, who is having a difficult time of it at the start of the novel, to put it mildly. If anyone has seen Martin Scorsese’s 1985 film, After Hours, this is worse.

But then – plot twist! When all seems lost for Adam, we are given an entirely new perspective on everything that came before. I did NOT see it coming and I refuse to spoil it for you. It is masterfully done, and unlike some books with a twist, Both Feet in Paradise does not become less interesting after the big reveal, quite the opposite – it draws you in even further.

Poignant, amusing, beautifully written with empathy and intelligence - Both Feet in Paradise is a marvellous book. I devoured it and I trust you will, too.

- Catherine Robertson, novelist and co-owner of GOOD BOOKS

Description

“With expert control of narrative and language, Andy Southall slowly reveals that everything is not as it seems.”— Pip Adam, author of Nothing to See and New Animals After months of researching butterflies in Sāmoa, Adam is looking forward to returning home to his family. Then his transfer to the airport doesn’t arrive. Worse, a hastily arranged taxi takes him not to departures but an empty field in the middle of nowhere, and he misses his flight. As he fails to find alternative ways off the island – other flights, ferries, even seagoing yachts – he grows increasingly frustrated, especially as all overseas phone lines and emails seem to be down as well. In a café, he meets Eve, who offers to help him. He decides he has to trust her, for there is no one else. Yet he has a strange feeling he’s met her before … Both Feet in Paradise is a masterpiece of storytelling that suspends the reader in a world of relentless beauty – where one step forward is two steps back and nothing and no one can be relied on, least of all yourself.