“I miss the freedom of travel. I miss the adventure. I miss van life. And I won’t let what happened to me dictate the rest of my life.”
Red River Road, Anna Downes
Looking for a book with a missing woman, an exploration of Western Australia, and the feeling of always being watched? Red River Road by Anna Downes has all of the above (and more)!
I’ve never been to Australia, but this book convinced me to put it on my travel list! The book follows Katy, whose younger sister Phoebe was documenting her solo van-life travels before she disappeared. Using Phoebe’s Instagram posts as her guide, Katy is traveling the coast of Western Australia, stopping at all the tourist landmarks Phoebe visited. When she meets Beth, another woman who’s been involved in van life, they agree to work together to find Phoebe. Both women are running from different demons, and it quickly starts to feel like their pasts are catching up with them.
I was on the edge of my seat for this whole book. The women consistently talk about all the safety steps they’ve taken, but still can’t shake the sense that someone is following them. And as more and more creepy things started happening, I was hooked! Downes seamlessly blended the two women’s’ points of view into one narrative that’s disorienting but cohesive. I spent every moment wondering what was really going on and what could possibly happen next!
Unfortunately, the last 80% or so undid a lot of the emotional tension that’d been built up. There were so many different options for the ending, and while I really liked the final twists, the way they were handled fell flat for me. But overall this was a solid thriller that kept me hooked until the last pages!
If any of this book’s weirdly specific traits caught your eye, you should definitely give it a shot! I’d also recommend it if you have any interest in Australia and its many landmarks or the concept of solo female travel and the van-life community!
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!
Read with Fern 
Leave a comment