As Sydney gears up for the 2000 Olympics, Angelica Fletcher is ready to rewrite her life.
Bored with her conventional existence, she conjures up a feisty alter ego, Elena. But as Elena grows beyond Angie’s control, the line between reality and imagination blurs, sending shockwaves through those around her.
Angie’s husband, Jimmy, scrambles to keep up with her boundless exuberance. Her friend Sinéad is drawn to her spark, unaware of the darkness beneath. And for her mother, Norah, Angie’s wild antics stir up long-buried ghosts. Even Tiger, Jimmy’s estranged friend, is swept up in the mayhem.
Angie is making the most of her borrowed life, but how long can this last before she discovers who Elena really is?
With intelligence and sensitivity, this award-winning novel explores the far-reaching effects of mental illness, the transformative power of healing, and the need for balance and authenticity in our lives.
Through the impact on those around Angie, and her own search for stability, the novel offers a nuanced view of mental illness and the hope that comes with self-understanding. It underscores that with appropriate treatment, community support and finding the right measure of exuberance, new possibilities can emerge.
Praise:
“A poignant story about living with a mental health condition, offering insight and hope.” - Anne Buist, co-author of bestselling novel The Glass House & Chair of Women’s Health, University of Melbourne
Contemporary, Women's Fiction, Australian, Sydney, Bipolar, Mental Health, Healing Journey, Coping and Resilience, Female Friendship, Power of Friendship, Mother-Daughter relationships, Marriage
About The Author
Bel Vidal is the pen name of a Bolivian-Australian writer who since 1988 has called Sydney home.
Her works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry have been widely published both in English and Spanish, under her pen name, her real name and other pseudonyms. Soon after arriving in Sydney, she was the recipient of an Australia Council (now Creative Australia) grant to publish a bilingual collection of poems and short stories, Arcoiris de Sueños / Rainbow of Dreams.
An earlier draft of her novel Exuberance was short-listed for the Varuna-Harper Collins award for manuscript development, and was awarded the five-day Varuna Awards Residential Masterclass. It was independently published in 2023, followed by her collection short fiction and non-fiction stories, Tales of Suburban Castaways in 2024.
Bel has a BA in Communications, Majoring in Creative Writing (UTS) and a Masters in writing for the Media (Macquarie University). She works in the not-for-profit sector as a communications and media professional, using her writing skills towards advocating for positive social change.
Bel is also a mental health advocate, book lover, film buff, bush walking enthusiast, keen photographer / designer, adventurous traveller, blogger and firm believer it's never too late to start something new.
