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A review by octavia_cade
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I've been meaning to read this for literal decades at this point, so finally swiped my Mum's copy and spent the morning with it. Loved it. I don't know that I quite sympathise with Kahu's desire to love her miserable grandfather - her granny, to me, is much more appealing, and doesn't have to be prodded by apparent death to give even a smidgeon of affection to the poor kid. That being said, the characters are so finely drawn that it's almost hard to believe how short the book is: less than 150 pages in this edition.
It's just beautifully written, and the narrative voice is both entertaining and compelling. I ended up going to read about the historical whale stranding the narrator describes, and honestly, I wish I hadn't. Chainsaws, really?! I suppose the horror of that scene acts as a counterbalance, though... something to illuminate, for the reader, just how much of their own sympathy is given over to the whales, and to Kahu.
It's just beautifully written, and the narrative voice is both entertaining and compelling. I ended up going to read about the historical whale stranding the narrator describes, and honestly, I wish I hadn't. Chainsaws, really?! I suppose the horror of that scene acts as a counterbalance, though... something to illuminate, for the reader, just how much of their own sympathy is given over to the whales, and to Kahu.