World War I is over and English woman Margaret is finally given clearance to sail to Australia to begin the new life she and her husband Frank planned during the dark days of War. Separated for nearly two years, Margaret is full of hope and anticipation, sure that the love she and Frank share will be enough to see them through any hardships that may arise. Sadly she did not foresee that Frank would not be waiting to meet her at the dock. After further investigation Margaret receives the news that Frank is married with a child. Shocked and devastated, Margaret decides against returning home to England and instead decides to create a new life for herself in Australia.

Being 1920 there are many social conventions that must be negotiated in order for Margaret to live freely as a single woman. Declaring herself to be a widow, she finds lodging and a job and embraces her new life in Sydney. Although outwardly happy, she struggles with the reality that she is still married and that Frank has betrayed her in the worst way possible. It is only when she receives a letter from Frank (via England) asking for a divorce that Margaret realises there has been a terrible mix up and that trying to sort it out is going to cause a lot of heartache.

Surfacing is the third installment of Nene Davies' trilogy about the Richardson's, a Welsh family who created a new life for themselves in Australia. Having come the know the characters well in the first two books, it was great to see how their journey finished up in Surfacing.

Right from the get go, Isobel is familiar, yet different. Tragedy has rocked her life and she is still very much treading water - functioning on a physical level but still emotionally at sea. With her children grown and gone Isobel is struggling to re-discover herself and her place in the world and is questioning if her adopted home of Australia is where she really wants to be.

As with the first two books of the series, Surfacing delivers well developed characters and a plausible storyline that most of us would be able to relate to. There is plenty of drama and many scenes that will have you reaching for the tissues. But on the flip side there is also a realistic exploration of several issues, such as depression, and a lovely sense of healing and hope.

Surfacing rounds out the Distance trilogy nicely with satisfying wrap ups for each of the characters and no loose ends to leave the reader hanging. I look forward to reading more of Nene's books in the future.