Emma's Luck

…one of the sweetest wierdest funniest saddest most REALISTIC little tales Ive read to date, totally blew my mind– I can hardly begin to describe it. It has a farm, hideous memories of child abuse, fantasy, horror , love, hate and pancreatic cancer and yet….it manages to be funny too ! –not an easy combination at all but perhaps it's the real dialogue that does that

"but you wanted a chicken didn't you?'

"I didn't want its head to be cut off!!"

"would you rather cook it with its head still on?"

"Oh for Heavens Sake!"

"Do you want to put the chicken in the wine alive with its feathers and all?"

"No I want a proper chicken from the super market , or even a freezer , a frozen chicken wrapped in plastic"

"so how do you think the chickens get into the supermarket and freezer? Suicide?"

Emma is a wonderfully practical strong and kind character , putting Eat Pray and Love into the shadows with her own sweetly psychotic  blend of "live, kill and laugh" – at one point in time she reminded me of the mad nurse in Misery but in a very positive honest way and I was actually worried for her new pet…her fantasy is to save her farm somehow for which she needs money, and to find a man- both seem to be answered one day when she finds a crushed Ferrari in her potato field with an unconsious man in it…

You will relate to this if you are an animal lover, or a strong single woman or someone very  afraid of terminal cancer…this has all three. And lots of squealing cute piglets. Who become "Happy Pork" And a unlikely characterful rooster who is possessive about Emma. And a unlikely beau named Max who slowly gradually, reluctantly,  falls in love with Emma.

But from then onwards the story that develops is absolutely unpredictable, is all I will tell you

Emma's Luck had me gasp, and hold in tears  at one point and its been a long time since a cynic like me could be moved that far.

Emmas Luck is available at the Colombo Public Library Acc No 78688