
One Year
Seventeen countries, one van, a true story of hope and healing
Susan Bennett(Author)
Gill Books (Publisher)
Published on 7. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-80458-540-5 (ISBN)
Description
'But we can't possibly pack up our lives and just run away in a van for a whole year. Can we?'
Susan Bennett and her husband Chris are living normal, busy lives until their mid-thirties when a shock diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is delivered to both of them - in the same week, in the same hospital. This is one in a series of final straws that nudges them to follow their dream, simplify their lives, and take to the road for a year in their trusty camper van, Hans.
One Year charts their journey around western Europe and Scandinavia. Engine breakdowns, Spanish flu, French doctors and many hours spent getting lost - freedom does not come without its challenges. But slowly the fog of bereavement and burnout begins to lift as they determine to carry on regardless; the unknown road reveals unexpected life lessons such as how to recover a sense of awe and look up at big skies, how to stop and breathe, and how to find courage to live life to the beat of your own drum. One Year is a life-affirming true story of stopping in order to start again and an inspirational memoir about rediscovering a capacity for joy and hope in the most difficult of circumstances.
Susan Bennett and her husband Chris are living normal, busy lives until their mid-thirties when a shock diagnosis of multiple sclerosis is delivered to both of them - in the same week, in the same hospital. This is one in a series of final straws that nudges them to follow their dream, simplify their lives, and take to the road for a year in their trusty camper van, Hans.
One Year charts their journey around western Europe and Scandinavia. Engine breakdowns, Spanish flu, French doctors and many hours spent getting lost - freedom does not come without its challenges. But slowly the fog of bereavement and burnout begins to lift as they determine to carry on regardless; the unknown road reveals unexpected life lessons such as how to recover a sense of awe and look up at big skies, how to stop and breathe, and how to find courage to live life to the beat of your own drum. One Year is a life-affirming true story of stopping in order to start again and an inspirational memoir about rediscovering a capacity for joy and hope in the most difficult of circumstances.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Dublin
Ireland
Publishing group
Gill
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
352 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80458-540-5 (9781804585405)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2026
Gill Books
€17.99
Available for download
Person
Susan Bennett is a writer based in Co. Antrim. She has been longlisted for the Cambridge Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Ulster's Thought for the Day.