Author Archives: alysonebaker

Scented by Laurence Fearnley – 2019

Posted on December 11, 2019

Siân Rees is a senior lecturer in American Studies at the University of Auckland, supported by the head of her department, Archer Hall, and used to picking up the slack for her ambitious young colleague, Jerome Roy.  She lives alone, … Continue reading →

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Auē by Becky Manawatu – 2019

Posted on November 15, 2019

Auē! – a cry of distress – calling out throughout this extraordinary novel of fear and violence, of families torn apart and people trying to find connection and safety. Taukiri leaves his brother Ārama with Aunty Kat on her farm … Continue reading →

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The Burning River by Lawrence Patchett – 2019

Posted on November 11, 2019

The burning river is a great piece of dystopian fiction, set in an Aotearoa that has been devastated by global warming and pollution. Van, Hana and her daughter Kahu set out on a quest to try and bargain for place … Continue reading →

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The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox – 2019

Posted on October 28, 2019

Taryn Cornick is a lover of libraries, a valuer of ‘just in case knowledge’, and an observer: “She was always studying the world, not rapt or curious, but patient and dutiful, as if the world was something she’d paid good … Continue reading →

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The Julian Calendar by William Henry – 2018

Posted on September 21, 2019

A year in the life of a young man, Daniel Jamieson, as he recovers from a love affair, befriends an older man, and has various other romantic experiences. Daniel had a ‘love of my life’ relationship with Bridget, an Australian … Continue reading →

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The Fell by Robert Jenkins – 2019

Posted on September 21, 2019

This is an extraordinary novel, a bildungsroman set for the most part in a boarding school reminiscent of Gormenghast, where an unnamed narrator makes his way in a community of violent, abandoned teenaged boys. The Fell is short for Feallan … Continue reading →

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When it All Went to Custard by Danielle Hawkins – 2019

Posted on September 15, 2019

What a delightful book.  Jenny’s neighbour Andrew seeks her out to tell her he has found her husband in bed with his wife – the rest of the book deals with the fall out of this infidelity.  It is an … Continue reading →

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