Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here

Gabi's Review

The thread that unravels the sweater of Heather Rose's idyllic childhood is the accidental drowning of her brother and grandfather in a boating incident. Her beautiful memoir traces her life's journey and search for meaning through the ancient cultural wisdoms the world has to offer. It is definitely a road less traveled, completely surprising and utterly compelling!

From Buddhist retreats to grueling sun-dances with the Lakota, from activism and the challenges of chronic disease to being a wife writer, Heather's fierce commitment to turn coal into diamonds triumphs every time. Nothing bad ever happens here is a of course a joke, life is a violent, precarious, fragile but ultimately beautiful process. 

We may tell ourselves very different stories about the nature of reality but Heather invites the reader to broader overarching perspectives of the core values in the sum total of a life. Nothing bad does ever happens here if you can frame it in a large enough context. Intimate, brave and generous, I will give this to friends.

Publishers Reviews

'Funny, devastating, miraculous, and delightful. This is an extraordinary life story, extraordinarily told.' Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull

'[Rose] takes us to the edge of a volcanic crater of grief, passion and spirituality. Dazzling and devastating.' Tim Rogers, author of Detours


Born on the island of Tasmania, Heather Rose falls in love with nature, but a family tragedy at age twelve sets her on a course to explore life and all its mysteries.

Here is a wild barefoot girl keen for adventure, a seeker of truth initiated in ancient rituals, a fledgling writer who becomes one of Australia's most acclaimed authors, a fierce mother whose body may falter at any moment.

Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a luminous, compelling and utterly surprising memoir by the bestselling author of Stella Prize-winner The Museum of Modern Love and Bruny. Heartbreaking and beautiful, this is a love story brimming with courage and joy against all odds, one that will bring wonder, light and comfort to all who read it.