O'Cuneen

War-zones and witchcraft, exotic food and disastrous dinner parties, Culture Shock & Canapés explores the hidden world behind high Embassy walls. A young Australian girl from London struggles to adapt to diplomatic life among the royal courtiers of Swaziland, in post-independence Zimbabwe and in Angola amid the gunfire of the civil war. She accompanies her husband, the striding KJ, on his African postings together with two English bull terriers and a large, redoubtable African tabby cat. As each country unfolds its challenges and discoveries she shares her delight, her wry humour, and keen sense of the ridiculous. In a darker mood we follow KJ in Somalia during the famine and in Rwanda after the genocide. The book will appeal to travellers; to those who have worked overseas and coped with culture shock. The writer, a psychologist, delves into history and sociology, revels in the bizarre and includes recipes collected along the way.

When Pamela O'Cuneen heard her diplomat husband was being transferred to Suriname, her first reaction was: ‘Suri-where?' Neither she nor anyone she spoke to had heard of the country. Having spent sixteen years in Africa – a story told in her first book, Culture Shock & Canapés – she was prepared for surprises, but Suriname, the mysterious land of seven cultures, proved to be a multi-layered experience that tested all her powers of cultural adaptation. Hummingbirds in My Hair describes Pamela's move from rainforest Suriname to carnivalesque Trinidad where, beneath the sound of steel pans and soca music, a dark and violent history of enslaved people still influences politics today. Those who read and enjoyed Culture Shock & Canapés will welcome this second episode of diplomatic travels and travails, revealing that what goes on inside embassy walls in developing countries is not just endless champagne and silver spoons. The book unrolls with humour, delighting in a lively procession of multicultural characters and animals, and includes a variety of recipes collected along the way...

Imagine finding the love of your life, but they are utterly unreachable. Pamela is a young Australian, not long out of convent school, trying to forge a life of adventure, culture and self-reliance by travelling through Europe. There, in a sunlit lecture hall in Perugia in 1968, she meets Kieran O'Cuneen, an Irish Catholic missionary priest whose conviction and charm captivate her soul. They fall in love, but Kieran's vows to the Church stand between them. When Kieran returns to his duties in Africa, severing all ties, Pamela is cast adrift in London. She immerses herself in a new life of work, friendships, and fleeting romances, yet her heart belongs to Kieran, and his absence devastates her life. With All My Soul is a true story, but it isn't just a memoir. It's a portrait of a changing world, and a deeply moving exploration of the agony of separation, the power of faith, and the choices that shape our destiny. For anyone who has questioned fate or dared to follow their heart, this book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love.