You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Beautiful prose and a poignant glimpse into Maori / pakeha relations and the prisons of gender norms and compulsory heterosexuality. It lost me with the complicity of the two otherwise sympathetic adult characters in horrific physical child abuse. I found Simon by far the most interesting and sympathetic character, but we didn't get enough of the story from his perspective (and never really found out his origins, the central mystery of the story, unless they were explained in a way I didn't understand?)
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse
4.5/5
A rare mix of characters and languages and emotions indeed. Gripping. Kerewin is one of my all-time favorite characters; she's everything I am and so much more. The talent and the energy and the drive. Simply beautiful. I can't forgive Joe though. I can't.Moving on though. The story builds and builds and then the ending. Hardly satisfying. The flow of words was nice, I have to admit. The Maori language has a certain running quality that makes the sprinkling through tolerable, almost pleasant, despite the lack of understanding. So, higher than a four, but not a five. I don't agree with all of it. But I can't deny its unique beauty.
A rare mix of characters and languages and emotions indeed. Gripping. Kerewin is one of my all-time favorite characters; she's everything I am and so much more. The talent and the energy and the drive. Simply beautiful. I can't forgive Joe though. I can't.
Spoiler
I don't see any justification for his violence. Is this how males get? Is this how their logic works? It has no place in society, whatever their excuses and reasoning and past horrific experiences may be. What he did to Simon was unforgivable, and the way the book kept pushing them together was unbearable. No one should go through that much torture and horde the blame for themselves.Spoiler
, especially given all the hinting and foreshadowing. It was all too easy, really. A happy family reunion, after all that? Unlikely
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Such an interesting read, more unique than anything else I've ever read. I appreciated learning about Maori culture. The characters are an interesting mix of interesting, cruel and depressing. That's said, it's an interesting take on family, community and love.
Really powerful characters. Really compelling writing. Lots of momentum. But I could have done without the last 3-4 chapters + epilogue.
I enjoyed this. The writing style is a bit odd, especially at first, but I really liked the story and characters. I wish I’d found the Maori glossary at the end a bit sooner, but it didn’t really make a difference. The story was very sad, and I’m not sure I buy the happy-ever-after-ending as fitting with the rest of the book, but I did enjoy it.
A really intense lyrical account of a violent love between a father and his son. One of the rare reads that understands domestic violence situations instead of merely pitying the characters. Worth reading for the language alone!