A review by octavia_cade
Baby No-Eyes by Patricia Grace

4.0

This is excellent, with a really appealing structure - non-linear, and from multiple different narrators, which is something I enjoy. The title character, who is not really the central character of the book at all - rather she is the catalyst that a bunch of inter-related stories play off - is a stillborn infant who, before being returned to her family for burial, is the subject of a medical experiment. Her eyes are cut out, all without the permission or knowledge of her family, who are understandably horrified at what has been done. It's based on a true story, according to the author's note, and it's hard not to suspect that this child is treated as a disposable resource primarily because she is Maori.

But burial is not the end of Baby No-Eyes, as her ghost continues to haunt her younger brother, becoming more and more entwined in his life. Simultaneously, her extended family are involved in their own recoveries of land and language and purpose, and Baby's relationship with her brother Tawera continues in the background of protest, occupation, and the journey to get stolen land returned. If that sounds sprawling and nebulous it is, a little, and towards the end I do tend to think that the book gets a little too unfocused, but overall it's thoughtful and affecting and angry and wonderful. I'm so glad I read it.