The Stranding Pod

Description

Lex Henderson washes up in a small coastal village after a tragedy shatters his life in Sydney. He wants only to escape from the world, and thinks he's found the perfect place to do it. He also meets Callista Bennett, an artist with a hidden history, and enters into a friendship with her that is both volatile and difficult - both of them are paralysed by their pasts and by the idea of trusting anyone ever again. What Lex does learn to trust is the beauty of the world around him, and he embraces it wholeheartedly, swimming out among the whales, spending hours a day studying the ever-changing patterns of the sea. Then a whale is stranded on a nearby beach, and Lex, Callista and the townsfolk become involved in a tense and uncertain rescue. Through the trials and emotions of this event, Lex and Callista see a way through their grief. But will their pasts ever let them go?

Author description

Karen Viggers was born in Melbourne, Australia, and grew up in the Dandenong Ranges riding horses and writing stories. She studied veterinary science at Melbourne University, and then worked in mixed animal practice for the next five years before completing a PhD at the Australian National University, Canberra, in wildlife health. Since then she has worked on a wide range of Australian native animals in many different natural environments. She lives in Canberra with her husband and two children. She works part-time in veterinary practice, provides veterinary support for biologists studying native animals, and writes in her spare time.