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A review by mnboyer
Once Upon a Time in Aotearoa by Tina Makereti
5.0
A wonderful collection of short stories revolving around Aotearoa and the Maori who live there. The stories are short, but so full of life, you actually wish that this collection was double its size.
"skin and bones" is a great beginning, which discusses Tane and his early struggles to find a companion to spend his days with. For some time he searches for a "creation to be like him, his mirror, his equal" (5). At first it seems like he'll never find the comfort he seeks but eventually he makes Hine to be his equal, his partner, and the rest is history. It is a retelling that is worth investing several readings in, each time finding something new.
"kaitaiki" is a fun story about an elder woman that steals a child--well--maybe not "steals" depending on how you wish to view the story. A boy is left alone, unsupervised, and eventually a kind woman takes him in and takes care of him (which his parents are clearly not doing). I love it when strong females take on the role of community mother because they do such a great job of it. Whether or not the boy stays with the woman is something you must read for yourself.
"blink" is a story about a woman named Rosie. Rosie ends up meeting a guy who seems like a good catch, and she is definitely interested in him when the story begins. However, like a lot of women tend to do, Rosie begins looking for some flaws in her new relationship. In particular she becomes convinced that her new beau has alien eyes and may actually be an alien. As most of us ladies can verify, we probably would not want to become part of an alien experiment. So Rosie has to decide what to do and how to find out the truth about her new boyfriend.
"what men do" can be summarized by the following quote: "... he felt it himself: the hope, with that first fresh drink, that the weight of disappointment could be spirited away in the first few fortifying gulps" (62).
"the god-child" deals with pregnancy, birthing, and motherhood. It is quite interesting to have multiple perspectives on woman's experiences with these issues. Here, we are told all women that give birth are "goddesses" and so keep a look out for this section if you're interested in gender or women's studies.
"top knot" further discusses some of the negative aspects of pregnancy, birthing, and mothering. Unfortunately, "off beat" gets kind of lost in the middle of the collection.
"shapeshifter" is told from the perspective of a bronze statue of Pania. If you are not sure who Pania is, make sure to look up some background information about Pania and her relationship with Karitoki. The bronzed statue is also real, so you can see some great photos of it on google. I absolutely love this story because Pania is trying to find a way to disassociate herself from Karitoki--such a fun (and sometimes saddening perhaps) read).
"ahi" is a story about the lengths women, especially grandmothers, will go to in order to protect their children and the traditional Maori ways that are being lost.
"Tree, the rabbit and the moon" is about a woman that loses her sister and her lover in the course of one short story. Her sister is physically lost for some time, then becomes emotionally lost. During the process, the protagonist's boyfriend also becomes lost and must go to find himself.
"the order of things" is about a woman that has trouble finding men that are good for her --until her son is both. But at some point, she decides that she might want to give a man named Paul a chance to date her and enter her life. After all, Paul is not what she would expect at all.
"mokomoko" is about twin sisters with a dark secret--but I shall give away no secrets here!
"in the end" closes the collection with another story about Hine. This story is a little bit darker than one might expect, but is quite fascinating and really does provide some closure to the collection.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection to readers!
"skin and bones" is a great beginning, which discusses Tane and his early struggles to find a companion to spend his days with. For some time he searches for a "creation to be like him, his mirror, his equal" (5). At first it seems like he'll never find the comfort he seeks but eventually he makes Hine to be his equal, his partner, and the rest is history. It is a retelling that is worth investing several readings in, each time finding something new.
"kaitaiki" is a fun story about an elder woman that steals a child--well--maybe not "steals" depending on how you wish to view the story. A boy is left alone, unsupervised, and eventually a kind woman takes him in and takes care of him (which his parents are clearly not doing). I love it when strong females take on the role of community mother because they do such a great job of it. Whether or not the boy stays with the woman is something you must read for yourself.
"blink" is a story about a woman named Rosie. Rosie ends up meeting a guy who seems like a good catch, and she is definitely interested in him when the story begins. However, like a lot of women tend to do, Rosie begins looking for some flaws in her new relationship. In particular she becomes convinced that her new beau has alien eyes and may actually be an alien. As most of us ladies can verify, we probably would not want to become part of an alien experiment. So Rosie has to decide what to do and how to find out the truth about her new boyfriend.
"what men do" can be summarized by the following quote: "... he felt it himself: the hope, with that first fresh drink, that the weight of disappointment could be spirited away in the first few fortifying gulps" (62).
"the god-child" deals with pregnancy, birthing, and motherhood. It is quite interesting to have multiple perspectives on woman's experiences with these issues. Here, we are told all women that give birth are "goddesses" and so keep a look out for this section if you're interested in gender or women's studies.
"top knot" further discusses some of the negative aspects of pregnancy, birthing, and mothering. Unfortunately, "off beat" gets kind of lost in the middle of the collection.
"shapeshifter" is told from the perspective of a bronze statue of Pania. If you are not sure who Pania is, make sure to look up some background information about Pania and her relationship with Karitoki. The bronzed statue is also real, so you can see some great photos of it on google. I absolutely love this story because Pania is trying to find a way to disassociate herself from Karitoki--such a fun (and sometimes saddening perhaps) read).
"ahi" is a story about the lengths women, especially grandmothers, will go to in order to protect their children and the traditional Maori ways that are being lost.
"Tree, the rabbit and the moon" is about a woman that loses her sister and her lover in the course of one short story. Her sister is physically lost for some time, then becomes emotionally lost. During the process, the protagonist's boyfriend also becomes lost and must go to find himself.
"the order of things" is about a woman that has trouble finding men that are good for her --until her son is both. But at some point, she decides that she might want to give a man named Paul a chance to date her and enter her life. After all, Paul is not what she would expect at all.
"mokomoko" is about twin sisters with a dark secret--but I shall give away no secrets here!
"in the end" closes the collection with another story about Hine. This story is a little bit darker than one might expect, but is quite fascinating and really does provide some closure to the collection.
Overall, I highly recommend this collection to readers!