Debra Oswald

Paula, Anita and Stacey have been friends since they were young girls. Now in their 30s, their lives have travelled different paths but their friendship is strong as ever. Teacher Stacey and her two kids have fled Stacey's abusive partner and are staying with the bereaved GP Paula, who is mourning the love of her life, taken by cancer. Meanwhile, Anita is at the peak of her powers as an experienced court reporter for a major daily newspaper.

Just as these women are feeling that their lives are exactly where they're meant to be, a shocking event blows everything apart. In its wake, the survivors try to put their lives back together and support each other, but nothing can be the same again. How each woman responds to the trauma, and to the ongoing violence against women that is, apparently, everywhere, drives the narrative.

Debra Oswald is probably most well known for creating the popular tv series Offspring. Her novel reads, to me, very much like a television drama. Often I felt like the dialogue was unrealistic. Despite this, the plot kept me going because I really wanted to find out what was going to happen next. And I haven't seen family violence and abuse explored in quite this way before. If there's a screen adaptation I'd be keen to watch it.

My real rating is probably a 3.5. Honestly, it's about time we got a rating system that allows for a bit more subtlety, Goodreads!… (more)

Celia lost her husband in a drive by shooting while pregnant with their first child. In order to create a new life for her and her daughter, Zoe, Celia purchases a stone fruit orchard in a rural area away from the threat of the city. Now Zoe is sixteen. Celia and Zoe lead a quiet hard-working life. Zoe is on holiday from school helping in the orchard. There is a labour shortage and when close friend Joe arrives with two potential workers, Celia agrees to take them on for the picking season. However, she is unsure about who these people are and when Zoe embarks on a relationship with eighteen year old Kieran, Celia's anxiety levels are elevated.
This story makes the reader consider how close do you keep your children to keep them safe? How much freedom do you give them?
The story moves at a pace and kept me engaged. a satisfying undemanding read.… (more)

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald is a domestic noir novel centred around Paula, a GP in suburban Sydney. She has been friends with Anita and Stacey since high school, but Paula's life is turned upside down when one of these women is the victim of domestic violence early on in the book. This is all in the blurb (so not a spoiler) and The Family Doctor focusses on what happens to Paula in the aftermath of that tragedy.

Domestic violence is a serious problem in Australia, with one woman losing her life to domestic violence each week in our country.

Through Anita's role as a crime reporter and Paula's as a Doctor, Debra Oswald is able to shed light on this issue in a sensitive and caring way, whilst also forcing us to consider what we might do in their individual circumstances.

We've all visited a GP at some point (some of us more frequently than others) and I'm sure many of us have wondered about our Doctor's other patients and what our GP must have to deal with in a day. Here, Oswald gives us a peek behind the privacy curtain and Paula's unique character perspective was refreshing.

The Australian setting was instantly relatable to me and the plot development felt realistic and insightful. The Family Doctor reads like a thriller, but also contains lighter moments, focussing on the depths of love and friendship as well as grief.

The Family Doctor by Australian author Debra Oswald is recommended for crime and thriller readers and those who enjoy domestic noir. If domestic violence is a trigger for you then choose wisely, as The Family Doctor shines a light on this issue without apology.

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *… (more)