The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss delivers what initially appears to be a breezy holiday read, but beneath the mai tais and beach sunsets lies contemporary politics and history woven into every page.
The novel follows Abbey, a Wiradyuri woman in her fifties recovering from heartbreak after a failed relationship. Between running her successful Indigenous activewear company, caring for her grandchildren and navigating menopause, Abbey is exhausted and in need of escape. Her two best friends – or ‘tiddas’ – Caitlin and Stevie, convince Abbey that their annual girls trip should go international this year. Destination: Hawai’i.
Before they leave for paradise, the women make a pact, adding a half marathon to the itinerary. It is meant to be a drama-free reset, but things become complicated when Abbey meets Kaleo, a local man who sparks the possibility of romance and forces her to reconsider what she wants from life and love.
The Paradise Pact: friendship
The friendship between Abbey, Cait and Stevie is The Paradise Pact’s greatest strength. The trio are full-blown besties with long histories together. Cait is flirty and fun-loving, Stevie is disciplined and grounded, where Abbey sits somewhere between them, feeling and thinking deeply. There are echoes of Sex and the City, but this is firmly a story centred on women of colour, culture and community.
Heiss does not shy away from writing about love and loss in midlife. Abbey’s heartbreak pours onto the page with the intensity of a first love, and later, over two pages, she writes a detailed list of the kind of man she hopes her ancestors might send her.
The novel also openly discusses menopause, ageing, sexuality and female independence in ways still rare in commercial fiction, particularly for First Nations female characters.
Language is another important thread. Wiradyuri words are shared gently with the reader, not as a lesson but as a natural part of Abbey’s world. This inclusion feels quietly political, a reminder that more than 70,000 years of Aboriginal culture lives on.
The Paradise Pact: broad topics
Blending her fiction and non-fiction writings, Heiss crafts a novel that sits between chick lit and social commentary. She introduces a wide range of topics, including the Voice referendum, refugee rights and systemic inequality. At times, the plot slows under the weight of historical and political reflections with some references dating the story to a specific moment in time.
This is most noticeable in the first third, where anticipation and preparation for the trip slow the pacing. It is not until the women arrive in Hawai’i that the novel finds its rhythm, becoming more lively, romantic and engaging.
The connection drawn between First Nations Australians and Native Hawaiians is touched on throughout. Abbey and her friends are not passive tourists, they actively seek to understand the history and culture of the places they visit. The novel underscores the shared experiences of Indigenous communities globally, particularly the ongoing impacts of colonisation.
Abbey says it best: ‘How could we imagine going anywhere as Blackfellas and not want to know about the local brothers and sisters and their stories?’
A poignant moment arises in a conversation with an Uber driver, where issues such as homelessness and exploitation in Hawai’i are raised. It is a stark reminder that even in paradise, inequality persists, and tourism often exists alongside deep social challenges.
Abbey feels this deeply. ‘Even on holidays, we can’t escape the reality of how First Nations people everywhere always seem to be the ones left to suffer in the margins.’
Heiss also explores how love does not exist in isolation from culture and community. For Abbey, both romance and friendship are tied to values, respect and identity.
The Paradise Pact ultimately offers something distinctive – a fun holiday read that doubles as cultural and political reflection of our times.
The Paradise Pact by Anita Heiss is published by Simon and Schuster.
