Forever Day is the memoir of one man’s life journey from growing up in Switzerland in the 70’s, driving around in a VW bus to see bands play, to heading out into the world on an adventure and meeting the love of his life, before settling in Australia. It’s the story of a search for the people and places where we belong, the migrant experience, and the small adventures that make up a life.

Hans Brunner has self published this memoir, but he is also the author of several award winning YA and kids books, was publishing manager at USA Today, and has written several books on antique hand tools. A member of my family got vaguely into collecting these hand tools at one point, and I remember a couple of these books sitting on their shelf. Hans Brunner reached out to me because his daughter Denise watches this channel, so hi Denise!

I love a good memoir. I think I just find people very interesting, and the choices people make, the things they live through, how life is lived in different time periods, all fascinate me. With biographies, we get the stories of great, big unusual lives, of fame and fortune, but Australia also has a tradition of story telling that’s closer to home and closer to it’s roots. Books like A Fortunate Life by Albert Facey, tell stories of ordinary people living on the ground floor of life, tossed around by larger events and enduring the everyman’s path, while being a witness to history. I loved A Fortunate Life, and OK, I’m not comparing this book to that classic of Australian literature, I think it is something in my upbringing that makes me love to hear people’s stories and a good yarn.

Hans Brunner’s style is casual, friendly and natural. It reads like you’re sitting with an old friend of the family, being told old stories. Brunner has a playful outlook, open mind and an adventurous personality, which makes his adventures more amusing and interesting. A child of the 60’s, I think, he has an egalitarian outlook on sex and drug use, which show up in the story a few times in the younger years of this life. He also speaks really respectfully about the women in his life, especially his wife.

Actually, one of my favourite parts of the story is his wife, Janine. He sees her on board a migrant vessel heading for Australia, her home, and that’s it. He smitten and they’re together to this day. He doesn’t overshare about her personal life, which feels respectful, but it reminds me of a lot of real life stories of true love: maybe not a lot of big flowery stuff is said, not a lot of drama but there’s a look from across a room, and then a quiet, steady, lifelong bond, which becomes a through line and a core motivation or influence on our storyteller. (Also at one point he mentioned she collected My Little Ponies, so you know she’s good people). At times, I think I would have liked a little more about her and their children, but I also think, since they’re real people, it makes sense not to share publicly too much of their private selves.

The title Forever Day comes from the authors childhood notion that some perfect day in our life, or perfect moment, would be the thing we look back on when we die that becomes our personal heaven. Our Forever Day. In some ways this is a theme, like this is the dream he chases through his life, this space of deep peace and belonging. I think that’s a really nice idea. I enjoyed going on this journey, meeting this cast of colourful characters, and all the funny things he gets up to along the way. Brunner has lived quite a colourful life. He grows up in a pub in Switzerland, and he also opens a chicken shop at one point, with a famous spice mix, and he may have engaged in some money laundering for some Hungarian businessmen, and he also wangled himself a job at USA Today while living in Europe at one point. While he does say that some of the events and names are changed or exaggerated a little, which is how you tell an entertaining yarn really, it’s nice to spend time in his company as grows through life and goes on his adventures, eventually landing on his dealing in antique tools. But always, whatever else is happening, he’s writing.

I liked this book. It reads as quite professionally written, while also being down to earth, and I liked hearing about the story of Brunner’s life. I did feel like the ending didn’t flow to a natural stop, and was a bit abrupt, but otherwise, it’s a pretty solidly written book. Normally, as I’m reviewing I think about if a book is for a specific target audience, and if they will like it, or if it might please a general audience. I think if you’ve read his other work, or if you’re looking for stories of the migrant experience, or Australian lives, then you might like this. Perhaps readers of the same era will be drawn to this, or people who like memoirs. I think perhaps it’s for the kind of people who are nosy about others life stories, like me! If you think it sounds appealing, get yourself a copy.

Read It If: you’ve ever wondered what the secret spices are that make your local chicken shop fare so delicious, or if you’ve ever moved to a foreign country and found yourself with feet in two worlds.

Thank you to the author who sent me a copy for review. All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

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