Peace, Love and Khaki Socks in Aussie Readers

Jan 31, 2013 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are

Peace, Love and Khaki Socks is an engaging debut novel from Australian author Kim Lock. Twenty four year old Amy Silva is stunned to discover she is pregnant and, despite the support of her long term loving partner Dylan, it's a struggle for her to accept the idea of impending birth and motherhood. Amy's busy GP and the abrupt obstetrician she is referred to do nothing to allay her fears and with Dylan, a serving member of the ADF, often absent and her only real friend, Hannah, avoiding her, Amy
Peace, Love and Khaki Socks is an engaging debut novel from Australian author Kim Lock. Twenty four year old Amy Silva is stunned to discover she is pregnant and, despite the support of her long term loving partner Dylan, it's a struggle for her to accept the idea of impending birth and motherhood. Amy's busy GP and the abrupt obstetrician she is referred to do nothing to allay her fears and with Dylan, a serving member of the ADF, often absent and her only real friend, Hannah, avoiding her, Amy goes in search of support and validation.

Amy is a likeable protagonist, a little naive and self absorbed but also idealistic, funny and generally well intentioned. A bit of a hippie and free spirit she feels like she doesn't really fit in on the Darwin defence base. She works, by choice, from home as a freelancer, her family is over three thousand miles away in Victoria and as such she relies heavily on Dylan and Hannah for emotional and social support. All of the main characters are well developed and believable and the conflicts that arise between them are genuine, rather than manufactured.

I think that the reader's own experience of pregnancy and birth will dictate the ways in which they will relate to Amy, her journey and her decisions. I sympathised with her experience of morning sickness (though mine lasted for 8 months), the constant need to pee and feeling overwhelmed by an unplanned pregnancy. I have given birth to four children, and had seven pregnancies and have had a range of good, bad, absurd and scary experiences.

I do believe a woman has the right to choose whichever experience suits her as long as she makes an informed choice and had Amy been shown to have made an effort to explore her options, of which there are several between the extremes of hospital/obstetrician managed and home birth, I would have been more sympathetic. Instead, I have to admit I was disappointed by the insinuated bias against medically assisted birth, and I think there needed to be some balance in Amy's decision making process. However I could empathise with Hannah's experience of her miscarriage, I had three, and none of them were handled particularly well.

Regardless of where you stand on the birthing debate, Lock is a talented writer. The writing is strong, characterised by natural dialogue and vivid description. The labour and birth scenes are among the best I have ever read. I particularly enjoyed the author's sense of humour and her frank manner.

Ultimately, Peace, Love and Khaki Socks is a moving, funny and genuine story of Amy's fraught journey through pregnancy.

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May 07, 2013 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-on-kobo, australia, australian-author, contemporary

Of my first glimpse of this book I remembered thinking, hhmm… interesting title – bit hippie but yea… maybe… and I moved on. I am thankful though that Kim Lock approached me for a review as it prompted me to a closer look and acceptance. It was such a lovely, heart-warming book and I found myself (unconsciously) smiling all the time whilst reading it. I could barely wipe the smile off my face and it wasn’t because it was funny but because it was all so… relatable to myself as a mother.

Amy Silva Of my first glimpse of this book I remembered thinking, hhmm… interesting title – bit hippie but yea… maybe… and I moved on. I am thankful though that Kim Lock approached me for a review as it prompted me to a closer look and acceptance. It was such a lovely, heart-warming book and I found myself (unconsciously) smiling all the time whilst reading it. I could barely wipe the smile off my face and it wasn’t because it was funny but because it was all so… relatable to myself as a mother.

Amy Silva has not thought about starting a family and definitely had no idea with what it will involve or what she’d need to do. So when she found herself to be with child, she was absolutely gobsmacked and lost. She tried to seek advice from a GP and then later her obstetrician as she tried to come to terms with her pregnancy but instead of feeling empowered, she felt merely incompetent. It seems that pregnancy just does not agree with Amy Silva.

Amy herself is very lucky in the love department. She is living with the love of her life and whilst their relationship isn’t without its rough patches, they are confident of each other’s love. As Amy struggles to understand pregnancy, its immediate and future consequences, she is really struggling to understand who she really is. Whilst this is not a ‘coming-of-age’ book as its standard definition, in a way it is similar to that or better put ‘coming-of-womanhood’.

Peace, Love and Khaki Socks is a book you can easily dive into and just continue on reading. You’d actually forget to surface to take a breather until something totally startling shocked you out of it. And when it did, I always found that I have unintentionally smiled the whole way through (sorry, train commuters, I swear I’m not a lunatic!). Whilst I couldn’t really relate to Amy’s concerns on pregnancy (I had different concerns), it reminded me so much of what I have forgotten in the experience of pregnancy and birth. There were times, however, that I thought this would’ve been ‘TMI moment’ if I haven’t gone through the same sort of experience. But since I had, I just found it hilarious.

I would recommend this book to all mothers out there –may it bring you many happy memories, and to all non-mothers (if you dare) –may it open your mind to possibilities.

I received an eCopy of book courtesy of author, Kim Lock, in exchange of an honest review (apologies for the delay). Thank you, Kim, for the smiles, reminiscences, and even some tears. Am awaiting your next work with great anticipation. ...more

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