4.5★s
“Her situation was precarious. It followed her around at all hours of the day and night, making her sweat and shake. She’d always been frugal, but she’d never been late on her rent. She couldn’t afford to eat some days, but she always comforted herself that as long as she could pay the rent, she’d be fine. But what if she coudn’t?”

The Quiet Triumph of Rachel Farrowsworth is the first novel by Australian author, Alison Sweeney. Having been unexpectedly made redundant three years earlier, fifty-six-year-old Rachel Farrowsworth has been relying on irregular casual work to make rent, op shops for clothing and household needs, charity kitchens and the kindness of neighbours for food, and begging energy service providers for an extension on bills: a hand-to-mouth existence she could never have imagined.

Her nearest neighbours in her South Western Sydney unit block are a Syrian refugee family who appreciate the help Rachel provided during lockdowns with explanation and reassurance, so Rima always insists on sharing her delicious food. And Rima’s sweet children are a wonderful distraction from her ongoing concerns.

Rachel’s best friend since school, Rosie lives in Melbourne, but supports and encourages her by phone. She’s grateful for the invaluable assistance that Helen at the library’s front desk provides and, having only the most basic mobile phone, relies on the library’s computers to apply for jobs. When she gets a face-to-face interview, everyone is excited for her, giving her tips and suggestions.

But “looking for work is so dehumanising… she was a woman in her mid- fifties trying to persuade people thirty years younger than her that she was worth hiring. ‘People don’t seem interested in my years of experience. They just seem to see I’m over fifty and that’s that.’ And not hearing anything after working so hard on an application made her feel insignificant in the most demoralising way.”

While many government-organised assistance programs seem to look down on those who most need their help, one workshop that Rachel attends features an employment rights lawyer who offers practical advice without judgement. She meets others in the same situation and, it’s almost typical of people who have so little, that they share what they have, be it food or warm clothing or the chance of a job. Rachel ends up offering a bed to a homeless woman.

When she eventually scores a job, she works tirelessly, accepting all opportunities at training, and becomes a valued employee. Which makes it all the more difficult to accept another redundancy and, even with a redundancy support program, Rachel spirals psychologically downward to hit rock-bottom. It takes a shocking incident to drag her back up from these depths.

Sweeney’s tale is filled with credible characters and convincing incidents, and it’s heart-warming to read about how the people of the small community that is a unit block support each other during lockdowns and in other times of hardship. Rachel’s triumph over her adversities is uplifting. This is a topical and relevant novel that should be required reading for all who work in human resources. Highly recommended!