The Common Wife: Getting Lost, Dancing Naked and Collecting Seashells

by Lindy Hughes

2022 EYELANDS BOOK AWARDS WINNER ~ MEMOIRBOOK EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST - INSPIRATIONALWHISTLER INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARDS - SHORTLIST NON-FICTIONINTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FINALIST - MEMOIR#1 ON 4 AMAZON BESTSELLER LISTSFor anyone who has felt, even for a moment, the ‘missingness’ of an unlived life and wondered what to do about it. When Lindy’s husband discovers that she has been living a secret life as a burlesque dancer, the glitter hits the fan. Perimenopause (whatever that is) does not help matters, and Lindy finds herself in increasingly compromising there is Thor, the stuntman from Texas, Satya with the dreadlocks and camper-van, beautiful Adam, and the Crazy. In the midst of a hot flush, Lindy remembers her destiny (bestowed on her by Father Ignatius at Catholic school when she was fifteen years old) to save the world. So, on her fifty-first birthday, she tells her husband that she can no longer be married. She needs to find her Big Life, the one that doesn’t include a picket-fence house in the suburbs with a minivan in the driveway. Since her husband is, above all, a practical man, he suggests that she go for a walk to think about things before making any final decisions. Forgetting that she doesn’t like walking, Lindy heads to Northern Spain with her purple backpack, Petunia. With blistered toes and a swollen ankle, she stomps along the sacred soil of the Camino de Santiago in search of God (if he exists), forgiveness (if that is possible), and herself (whomever the hell that is). With no guidebook and no sense of direction, she gets lost. Very lost. In that lostness, she is forced to stare the serpent in the eye, have it out with Jesus, and face her naked truth. A cross between Bridget Jones’s Diary and Eat, Pray, Love, this is the audaciously honest, irreverent memoir of one woman's pilgrimage to the Ends of the Earth.

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2019

About the author

After forays into journalism and astrology, and a failed attempt at joining the circus, Lindy taught English in South Africa. She emigrated to Vancouver in 1997, and spent the next twelve years playing with fairydust and teaching ballet. When her delayed writing aspirations exploded in a full-fledged crisis, her husband bought her a laptop and sent her to Vegas. Nine months later her Vegas baby was born. It Never Stays in Vegas brought the most fantastic people into her life. And for a while, things went swimmingly. Then perimenopause hit, and a foray into the glittery world of burlesque ensued. As Luna Blue, she performed professionally for a year - until her husband discovered her secret. He was Very Disappointed. So she bought a purple backpack called Petunia and set off across northern Spain. With a swollen ankle and blistered toes, she trudged the holy soil of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, in search of God, forgiveness, and herself. This resulted in her second book, a memoir, The Common Wife. And while Luna Blue no longer dances onstage, Lindy still occasionally pirouettes through the house in tutu and sparkly wings.

Reviews

[Geoffrey Haddad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! A Must Read for any one wanting to escape the Common Life – if even temporarily

Lindy Lou embarks along the Camino Del Norte with her purple pack, Petunia, leaving husband and adult children, in a spur of the moment decision to find herself. Her experience is palpable. Ill prepared without maps or sense of direction she explores the trails mostly alone - sometimes with strangers, here and there. Encountering seemingly insurmountable obstacles and wondering whether she will survive the adventure. Along the way she questions the existence of God. The journey is filled with excitement. Just as exciting are flashbacks into her private life and childhood – she bares everything in the finer details, there are no secrets, leaving nothing to the imagination. Lindy abandons all inhibitions- if she had any. On her return, she reflects on her journey for years afterwards and ends with the following summary; the line separating courage and recklessness is flimsy. Like the fragile tendrils between sanity and lunacy. Shadow and light.

[Chris Vetterli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never do this, but I read your book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. I felt like I was walking the Camino with you, Lindy, and your gutsy adventure(s) pulled me forward. The threads of your stories intertwined beautifully and gave a rich fullness to your characters, strangers and family alike. Well done!