Author takes readers on an unexpected ‘road trip’

A raw and engaging coming-of-age story about the highs and lows of adolescence and the consequences of family tragedy is brought to life in Sandy Feet, the latest offering from The University of Queensland Press.

Young adult author Nikki Buick takes readers on an unexpected journey of healing and discovery through the eyes of her teenage protagonist, Hunter.

Hunter’s mum decides to take the family on a road trip to far North Queensland, thinking it will bring the family closer together, but the trip soon becomes Hunter’s worst nightmare.

The further away from home he gets, the more he can’t shake thoughts of the accident that took his dad’s life.

For Buick, the themes of blended families, absent fathers, mental illness, disability and self-discovery flow from her years of study and work in family dispute resolution.

She has listened to and counselled young people through issues they struggled to navigate on their own.

“There’s an expression, ‘you can’t choose your family', but in a blended family there is a choice made somewhere, but it’s rarely the kids making the choice or having any say at all,” Buick said.

“I have met many young people who have felt vulnerable and unable to express, particularly to their parents, their raging, writhing frustrations and feelings about their place in the newly reconfigured family unit,” she said.

Media: Meredene Hill, 07 3346 7932 or meredeneh@uqp.uq.edu.au