Having watched Jo on The Farmer Wants A Wife, I was very interested to read her story. I had read other magazine articles which talked about the fact she had suffered from bullimia and depression, so that was not a total surprise - but I will admit I was a little shocked at the severity of her problems, given how positively she came across on screen.
Jo Fincham grew up in Melbourne - a city girl through and through she took a huge leap of faith by appearing on the reality TV show The Farmer Wants a Wife. Right from their first meeting, you could tell that she and farmer Rob really hit it off and theirs was one of the rare 'happy ever after' stories of the show. They became engaged less than a year after appearing on the show and have since married and had a child and by all accounts are still blissfully happy. Because Jo came across as so bubbly and positive, most viewers never would have guessed that she struggled with bulimia and depression right through her teenage years and twenties. Out of the Blue is the story of her struggle with these illnesses.
Out of the Blue is an easy to read book. Well written in simple language, I was drawn into Jo's story right from the first page and was eager to keep reading. Jo gives a very honest and open account of her life, describing her happy childhood and the loving, close family environment she grew up in and still has today. She also details her many years of gymnastics training and how a careless comment by a coach in her early teens put her on the path to an eating disorder. An abusive, long-term relationship further exacerbated her bullimia as did developing depression (which she was medicated for). Lost after another relationship breakdown, Jo also began to self harm and abuse alcohol to try and cope with her demons. Making a decision to focus on herself and get healthy one day, it was not long after when she applied to Farmer and her life turned around.
I really enjoyed the behind the scenes info Jo shared about how a reality TV show is made as well as hearing about how she and Rob fell in love almost right from first sight. Honest with Rob from the start about her problems, he gave her all the suppport she needed to finally come to terms with them and move forward.
I guess my only criticism of the book is that it was a little repetitive on the theme of "country is good, city is bad". While it is obvious that Jo has found a happy, contented life on the farm - it is not a universal recipe for personal happiness. I am certainly not knocking country life, but it almost came across as a little preachy that to find happiness you had to be in a rural setting somewhere. Once again I don't doubt that Jo is being honest about her experiences and that country people do enjoy a fabulous lifestyle - but it's not for everybody and readers shouldn't feel that they can't overcome their own problems just because they live in a city.
All in all, Out of The Blue is an inspiring, positive book that shows that love and determination can help you turn your life around, no matter what you've been through. It also highlights that things aren't always as they seem on the surface.
A really enjoyable, interesting book.
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