If you’re looking for a good New Zealand fiction novel with that classic Kiwi flavour, Dominic Hoey’s 1985 might be right up your alley. With its nostalgic setting, chill young perspective, and elements that certainly have you reminiscing about the life and culture of the day, 1985 is as much a laugh as it is a deep dive into the complexities of growing up poor in Aotearoa New Zealand. This award-nominated novel is definitely something to take a look at.

It’s 1985 and Obi’s on the cusp of teenagehood, after a childhood marked by poverty, dysfunctional family dynamics, (dis)organised crime and violence. His dad’s delusional, his mum’s real sick, the Rainbow Warrior just exploded, and it’s time for Obi to grow up and get out of the spacies parlour. When he and his best mate Al discover a map leading to unknown riches, Obi wonders if this windfall could be the thing that turns his family’s fortunes around. Instead, he’s thrown into an adventure where the stakes are a lot higher than the games he loves. An electric novel about life in a multi-cultural, counter-cultural part of Auckland pre-gentrification. 1985 is an adventure story with a local flavour, a coming-of-age story for the underdogs, the disenfranchised and the dreamers.

The language choice and tone feel so relaxed and fitting for our young protagonist, Obi. It carries the story for me, setting the scene and establishing an Auckland that feels retro and different, but still real, with its shops and characters who transcend time and make Auckland feel like a bubble that hasn’t truly been burst. The core vibe and feel is something I can reminisce about with my old neighbourhood, making this aspect of the story’s narrative structure and setting relatable and interesting. Things are different, yes, but 1985 brings them back to life with a bang.

The characters and their dialogue are a stand-out part of 1985 for me. This novel is such a character-driven story, but it is also so immersive, making interactions and relationships feel vivid and raw and, at times, frightening. What is unsaid can be haunting, lingering in the space and the back of your mind as the light-hearted scenes unfold, but once the topic is broached again, the façade begins to crack. Slowing but steadily, the childhood bubble shrinks until it pops. It is so fascinating to read Obi’s perspective, not only as a young boy growing up in Grey Lynn, but as a character finding his passions and coming to understand how the world really works, especially for someone like him. Humour laces his speech and makes him a really enjoyable character to read, but it doesn’t hide the darker, sadder parts of his upbringing. That is in part why I feel 1985 feels so real.

1985 is such an enjoyable read, and it sticks out as a modern Kiwi classic in my eyes. I will be watching the eagerly anticipated Ockhams shortlist news with a keen eye to see how far 1985 gets, and the same can be said for The Last Living Cannibal. With both novels being stellar reads, and undoubtedly the rest of the nominees hitting just as hard, I am at a loss as to who will make it to the shortlist.