My Seventh Monsoon: A Himalayan Journey of Faith and Mission
Naomi Reed, Ark House Press

This is an autobiography written about Naomi’s and her husband Darren’s experiences working as physiotherapists in Nepal with the International Nepal Fellowship.

Naomi learns much from her experiences: that it is easier to sleep with rain pouring on your legs than on your head, that midday is not the time for going to the well — it is the time to sleep — and that a buffalo at the back door is much better company than a cobra near the toilet.

She and Darren also learn enough Nepali to cause confusion.

Naomi describes the differences in their new working environments: instead of the sports injuries they had known in Australia there are a prosthesis made of piping, bicycle axles and film canisters, a three-hour walk to do a home visit and treating patients with polio or injuries caused from falling from heights with a sickle.

Naomi’s writing is vivid and humorous, but often sad and reflective. She has several miscarriages, Darren has problems with his heart and her father is seriously injured in an accident.

Naomi’s approaches her life experiences as living through a series of seasons; set periods for learning. She gives her chapters titles such as “A season of preparation”, “A season of adjustment”, “A season of grief” and “A season of newness”.

My Seventh Monsoon is a lovely book.

Katy Gerner