I was generously gifted this book, penned by regional author, Amelia Olsen and her son Riley, about a motorcycle ride they undertook to honour a commitment made to Riley’s father, who had suicided.
Both novice riders, they heroically tackled the ride from Cairns to the tip of Cape York accompanied by a group of experienced male riders. It is a gripping Aussie narrative told from teenage Riley’s perspective, both dramatic and humorous, as an adventure, but hauntingly challenging as an exploration of the collateral damage caused by poor mental health and suicide.
Olsen tackles many tough questions as she examines her role in the affair. Can you love psomeone through their plight? Can you take too much responsibility for the situation? What should you do to protect your children? How much is enough, even when you still love the suffering partner?
Riley has his own questions, many of which he can’t raise with an absent dad. Here Olsen uses the men accompanying them as mentors to Riley, to explore, among other things, masculinity, relations between the sexes, dealing with failure, owning your own behaviours, bravery, and sharing emotions. A young person, in the manner adopted by the Greeks in their tales of heroic journeys. can learn a lot from this book without feeling they’ve been lectured.
Olsen is a wizard of the teachable moment and capitalizing upon experiential incidents. One I especially enjoyed was Riley watching an egg being fried and noticing that whilst its backside was scorching it retained its sunny side-up.
I enjoyed this book. You may also. It has the power to trigger so may not be for everyone, but could be a wonderful resource to assist people wishing to discuss suicide
