Kerry Tucker Learns To Live by Louise Voss

 

Kerry Tucker is in her 40's and leads a sheltered life. Home is an annex to her childhood home and her job is delivering post to the nearby villages. Her solitary existence suits her fine until her mother passes away and life begins to spiral out of control.

Kerry is a very quiet, unassuming character who doesn't ask for much from life. She's happy living in the converted garage of her family home and enjoys the solitude offered by her job, taking pleasure in the views as she drives from village to village and the interactions with the people on her round. The death of her mother is the catalyst that causes Kerry's life to start spinning out of control.

Family dynamics are a major thread, Even though Kerry is older by two years it's her sister Beth who seems to make all the decisions, bossing Kerry around. For the sake of a quiet life Kerry accepts this. Kerry is protective of her sister and has kept a secret about their father for fifteen years as she didn't want to upset anyone. Following the death of their mother the division of her estate begins to cause friction between the sisters. My heart was in my mouth as the problems with the will were discussed, this is just the type of thing that drives a wedge between families in real life.

Kerry's behaviour is self-destructive and because of this behaviour I found it difficult to sympathise. As we find out more about Kerry's life and her background we discover that her solitary life-style is an attempt to hide from an event that happened as a teenager, an event that was fueled by alcohol. Unfortunately she is now resorting to alcohol as an emotional crutch after her mothers death. Resorting to alcohol begins to cause complications in her life.

As the story develops we begin to realise that Kerry is incredibly lonely, suffering trauma and depressed. Instead of trying to confront things or seek help she hides away, however this simply adds to the spiral of depression. 

A chance connection with someone from her past allows Kerry to learn the truth and begin to put things in perspective. A series of disasters makes Kerry confront her reality and take positive steps towards getting her life back on track, she also learns that she has friends, people who genuinely have her best interests at heart.

Kerry Tucker Learns To Live by Louise Voss will be published on 6th October 2022 in ebook format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a review copy.