Tag: kiwi novels
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More Kiwi Goodness from Josie Shapiro in Good Things Come and Go
The end of summer here in the southern hemisphere, and the end of my month of multiple reading genres. From works by African descendants and local New Zealand writers to a few reads on love and romance, February has provided me with a great selection of genres and themes to keep my busy brain engaged…
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A Blast from the Past in Dominic Hoey’s 1985
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…
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My Waitangi Day Read is Airana Ngawera’s The Last Living Cannibal
As soon as I heard Airana Ngawera was releasing another novel, I knew I had to get my hands on it. After several busy months of PhD work and an unfortunate bout of reader burnout, which resulted in me returning my library copy of The Last Living Cannibal unread, I managed to get my hands…
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Classic Kiwi Brilliance in Janet Frame’s A State of Siege
I have read some of Janet Frame’s autobiographical work in An Angel at my Table, and I knew I wanted to find some fiction pieces to read in the coming months. Imagine my surprise when I found A State of Siege recommended by one of my trusted bookstagram accounts (I believe she is UK-based, so…
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New Zealand Fiction Excellency in Keri Hulme’s Iconic The Bone People
What a rollercoaster this novel is! Keri Hulme’s exceptional and iconic classic kiwi novel The Bone People, winner of the Booker Prize in 1985, is a masterful literary fiction novel which blends language, narrative structure, and style to deliver a compelling, emotional, and gut-wrenching story you will not forget. In a tower on the New…
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Kirsty Gunn’s Pretty Ugly – A Short Story Collection Full of Human Emotion
Would it be fair if I only reviewed one short story collection this month? Pretty Ugly by Kirsty Gunn is a darkly-fascinating, ominously-enticing read, and I felt myself being drawn into the writing with no desire to pull back. Pretty Ugly by Kirsty Gunn is the inaugural title in a new series of short story…
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Monty Soutar Returns with Kawai: Tree of Nourishment
Back with another stunning and shocking novel, Kāwai: Tree of Nourishment by Dr. Monty Soutar continues the story of the powerful lineage of his line, providing a captivating tale of a period of Aotearoa New Zealand’s history that is full of action, conflict, and change. If you enjoyed Kāwai: For such a Time as This,…
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The Mires by Tina Makereti – Intense and Charming
The Mires by Tina Makereti, shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockhams 2025, will immerse you in a tale of indigenous folklore, suspense, domestic drama, and the threat of extremism on ordinary lives. It is a magical page-turner from start to finish, and it won’t take you more than a…
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Lauren Keenan’s The Space Between – A Gripping Historical Fiction Debut
The Space Between by Lauren Keenan took me by surprise given the subject matter, historical events, and the two perspectives at the heart of this novel. I wasn’t sure what to expect upon picking up the novel, but I am so happy I did because The Space Between blew my mind and has piqued my…
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DI Nyree Bradshaw is Back in Catherine Lea’s Better Left Dead
New Zealand crime fiction is really scratching an itch of mine at the moment, and Catherine Lea’s Better Left Dead does a fantastic job at it. With heavy subject matters, complex characters, challenging conflicts and an action-packed plot that will hook you in for the ride, it is such an easy read to get through…
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