It’s tempting to read this novel in one sitting, as every chapter demands your undivided attention. This account of the protagonist’s dangerous hitchhiking from Alice Springs towards Melbourne on the Stuart Highway is urgent and full of suspense.

But a slower read lets you absorb Hind’s colourful descriptions of landscape, appreciate her compelling exposure of the characters’ thoughts and enjoy their natural, snappy dialogue.

Amelia’s mother has just died and Sid, her closest childhood friend, is living in Melbourne. When Zach, Amelia’s childhood abuser, turns up, she chooses to risk this southward journey rather than to live near him. She leaves with a backpack of essentials, memories and her small dog, Lucy. In this strange freedom she has lots of time to think and we are inside her mind. She’s told no-one of Zach’s abuse, but her memories of him haunt her at every encounter with others.

The white posts on the Stuart Highway measure her progress as she reminisces on the past and works out how to survive each day. Each truck or car that approaches fills her with both hope and fear. Some are mirages as the hot sun beats down and some contain lecherous men. While most characters are transient, they quickly come to life and create a challenge for Amelia, either making sexual advances or being over-protective and controlling. I felt fully involved in Amelia’s decisions and attempts to read her pick-up’s intentions. Accept the lift, or jump out and run?

Lucy the dog is a beguiling character and plays an important part in the narrative. Animal lovers will enjoy her doggy reactions.

There’s not much humour to lighten the tension of Amelia’s many escapades and risky decisions. These could become tedious and unbelievable, but her youthful desperation and self-criticism was realistic. ‘Stupid girl,’ she often chides herself. As I read I wondered if her strength and tenacity might help her finally deal with her experiences at the hands of Zach. I desperately wanted Amelia and Lucy to succeed.

Reviewed by Judith Grace