Tsunami and the Single Girl (Krissy Nicholson, A&U)

This honest and revealing memoir documents Krissy Nicholson’s incredible time as an aid worker in poverty- and disaster-stricken countries, where she lives it up as a single 30-something amid the expat party scene and wrestles with a yearning to settle down. Two elements shine through: Nicholson’s tenacity and capacity for hard work, both professionally, in delivering aid to the suffering, and personally, in continuing to look for Mr Right amid setbacks; and her bravery in enduring often-dangerous third-world conditions for months on end in order to help the less fortunate, and in exposing her soul in this book. The writing occasionally reads like a job application with human resources and aid-organisation jargon, and in some parts, particularly relating to Nicholson’s disposition, it would have been preferable to ‘show more, tell less’. That said, the romantic interludes are emotive and humorous, many colourful characters from her travels are brought to life, and her work in the field is fascinating and admirable. Tsunami and the Single Girl is in the ilk of Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures, which was published a few years back, but it’s more personal, less violent, and—written by a Melburnian—has a local angle.

Joanne Shiells is an editor and former retail book buyer

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Category: Reviews