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A great read

18/4/2019

No One Can Hear You
by Nikki Crutchley

This is a great read. I read it in one sitting and finished it with that regretful feeling of having finished a good book and wishing for more. On page 9 I read:
‘….the clouds glided across the darkening sky – even they had a better place to be.’
And knew I was in the safe hands of a born story-teller.
Zoe Haywood has been informed that her mother Lillian has committed suicide. She is forced to return to Crawton, the small New Zealand town she grew up in and longed to escape from. Ghosts from her past abound for Zoe as she rekindles her old friendship with Alex, the nerdy boy who had been her best friend. This relationship gives Zoe a light in the darkness that has become her life as she struggles to feel anything for the mother who never loved her. Then Zoe finds a notebook of Lillian’s. Girls have been going missing and as a respected, much-loved school counsellor, Lillian had known these girls but her suspicions are fogged by the Alzheimers claiming her mind and Zoe, reading the ramblings in the notebooks, can’t decide what’s true and what’s illness.
This novel has an unsettling opening. The principal of an expensive private school is covering up the violence of one of Zoe’s pupils. The father of the boy makes everything go away with a hefty donation – rich privilege protecting and covering up its bad behaviour. One of our local Catholic schools engaged in similar behaviour not too long ago – protecting the boys of privileged backgrounds whose untenable behaviour led to two young female teachers having to leave so, from the outset of this book, I felt a strong sense of ‘This could happen. It all too easily could.’ And that feeling lasted through the horrors of abduction and slavery in Auckland.
I don’t want to say too much and offer spoilers in the guise of this review so will finish with this – Strong characters. Good dialogue on the whole. Great plot. Wonderful reveal. This would make a great mini-series for TV.
Thanks to Nikki for a great read.

Review by TJ Ramsay

Title: No One Can Hear You
Author: Nikki Crutchley
Publisher: Oak House Press
ISBN: 978-0-473-44936-0
RRP: $31.99
Available: from www.nikkicrutchley.com and ebook from Amazon

Collection to be read and reread

13/4/2019

Murmurations
by Art Nahill

This tight little book of 68 pages contains a weight of wisdom, phrased in very effective poetic form.
The poems included are ordered into three sections.
In Part l, some deep emotions are given voice. Sad loneliness is portrayed in Athazagoraphobia–
       Every day I check the mail
       sometimes twice for evidence
       of my existence…
– and also in other poems such as, Superstitions, and A Brief History of Salt, that together suggest biographical progression.
Then, in Part ll, memories of past times and people once known – Mary Lou, Mr Dombrinski and more, as well as some on the inevitability of old age –

       Sit here too long
and you can feel the world
   shaking you
off its back like a wet dog.
     Also in this section is a group of poems on birds, including one, Murmurations, which is the inspiration for the title and the cover design – to my mind not the most effective in the collection, but it’s a great title. In fact, titles of individual poems throughout the volume are very well chosen.
In Part lll, I find great use of metaphors to paint evocative word pictures. In Ars Poetica #78, the metaphor of an ant is used to comment on the form of the poem itself. Very arty, Mr Nahill.
Then in the next poem, You Say My Poems Have Too Many Adjectives, there’s an answer to critics from the poet himself –
  As if a lamp
could be just a lamp
a shoe just a way
to get around
as if our lives
didn’t need
a bit
of embellishment
– written almost without an adjective.
     The head-on approach of Damn Right I Let the Cat Out, is also present in others – it’s a collection that looks at aspects of life, living, and experience with honesty.
     The poems mentioned, and others, make this a collection to be read and reread. They’re all very accessible, and even readers who don’t usually read poetry should find them rewarding.
     They’re not lengthy, mainly having just a few words in each line. Dare I suggest that, if there’s to be a reprint, a larger font, and placing each one further out on the page to make a wider gutter, would increase readability. But it’s a minor niggle.

Review by J.M.

Title: Murmurations
Author: Art Nahill
Publisher: Two Hemispheres Poetry
ISBN: 9780473430535
RRP: $20
Available: Order through TimeOut Books, Unity Books or other independent bookseller or via twohemispherespoetry.com

Thriller has it all

6/4/2019

The Pumpkin Eater’s Wife
by Tannis Laidlaw

Domestic violence, both physical and psychological abuse, identity theft, HIV, immigration offences, an estranged child. This book has them all.
It is the story of a woman escaping a very bad marriage and carrying the knowledge she is a murderer. We follow her as she escapes to another country breaking many laws along the way as she attempts to make a new life for herself.
Predictably, it all works out well for her because she is our heroine. She gets the life she wants and the baddies get their comeuppance. How she gets away, finds jobs and friends all seems a bit too easy to me but it keeps the story moving along and the pages turning, which is what we ask of thrillers.
At the beginning the author apologises to North American readers for using New Zealand English. Why? Do American authors ever apologise to us for using different spelling and syntax? Maybe this novel was aimed at the American market as the name refers to the American Nursery Rhyme “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater”.
I would probably class this an airport novel.

Review by Rewa Vivienne

Title: The Pumpkin Eater’s Wife
Author: Tannis Laidlaw
Publisher: Forth Estate Books
Available: as e-book only, via Amazon (B06XK2QVGH), Kobo and distributors

Diary may be key to mystery

1/4/2019

Diary of a Kiwi Kid
by Robin Lee-Robinson

The greater part of this book is in the form of a diary kept by nine year old Rosalyn Jondell a Gisborne schoolgirl in 1977.
Preceding this is a ten page introduction written by her grandson, fourteen year old Jack Jondell, documenting his family’s whakapapa and how he came to have access to the diary. I had to refer back to these pages several times while reading the book – but maybe this says more about me than Jack.
He refers to the mystery surrounding his grandmother Rosalyn’s disappearance at the age of eighteen.
The following 105 pages constitute Rosalyn Jondell’s diary and give insights into the minutiae and vernacular of her schooldays.
As a nine year old the writer of the diary, Rosalyn, regards herself as a house slave, albeit a sophisticated one, doesn’t like her name, and is already developing leanings towards political activism. These aspirations inspire her to attend a young writers’ course with the objective of eventually becoming a writer. Meanwhile she is not averse to undertaking practical projects such as building go-carts, with her father’s help. She tends to make assumptions about people, which are often proved to be wrong, but give authenticity to the fact that the diary was being written by a young person.
The book’s author tactfully speculates how nine year olds might be confused by adult same sex relationships. Even though the title of the book suggests it may be suitable for young readers I would hesitate to recommend it to an immature young person unless I knew their level of understanding of sexuality.
There is mention of one or two things which I feel would have been misplaced on a time scale. For example Cabbage Patch dolls did not become a craze until 1983 and this would have been in the USA and not available to the Gisborne public by 1977. And wet wipes were not commonplace in provincial New Zealand at that time. These are only trivial details which need not detract from the story and would probably go unnoticed by modern teenagers who are the likely target readers.
Most books are complete in themselves and have a denouement, even in a series. In this case we will have to wait for a subsequent book for the mystery to be resolved which some readers would find disappointing.
The inclusion of a glossary of Maori words and phrases is a useful addition and the book has an attractive cover which is nice to the touch.
My appetite is whetted and I would read more books in the series.

Review by Irene Thomas

Title: Diary of a Kiwi Kid
By: Robin Lee-Robinson
Publisher: Red Hen Books
ISBN: 978 -0-473-45519-4 (p/b)
RRP: $25
Available: Print only, via bookstores, public libraries and viaRed Hen Books, P.O. Box 503, Opotiki 3162

Serious book includes light-hearted incidents

27/3/2019

So You Want To Be A Cop...
by Robert Rattenbury

This book recounts the private life and the career history of a policeman in New Zealand in the 1970s through to 1992. This period was quite turbulent for the police in New Zealand, with the Vietnam War protests, the Springbok tour, the rise of patched gangs, and several Royal tours.
It was also a time of progressive change for the Police, with the abolition of the cadet system, the increase in the numbers of women police, the vast increase in drug offending, and the formation of the Armed Offenders Squad.
The author gives a personal account of these changes from the viewpoint of a policeman at the heart of the events. He was also involved with the early days of the Police Complaints Authority (now known as the Independent Police Complaints Authority), and was also a member of the Armed Offenders Squad, initially as a member, then as a commander, and also as a trainer.
“So You Want to be a Cop…” also recounts his personal life from childhood with a violent alcoholic father, his earliest school days, through police training, to marriage, and later, his struggles with depression leading to his resignation from the police and taking up a position as a case manager with the ACC, dealing with traumatic brain injury clients.
There are numerous accounts of incidents and criminals the author was involved with, some humorous, some serious, and some just plain scary.
It is clear from reading this book that policing has changed just as society has changed and the way police handled some situations would not be tolerated today.
What shines through is the sheer humanity of the front-line police, the lifelong friends made and lost, and the comradeship that develops between men and women when faced with danger. It is a mostly serious book, but there are many light-hearted accounts of incidents, which lift the tone of the story.
I came from a similar background to the author and, also having lived through the events that shaped the author’s life, find it easy to empathise with him.
I can recommend this book as it gives an insight into a past age of policing and of New Zealand society.
There are issues of spelling, formatting, and language that irritated. In particular the use of “Xmas”, the constant use of capitalising words when not necessary, the small gutter making the latter pages hard to read. There are places where text is poorly justified, random blank paragraphs are inserted, and a general lack of careful proof reading. However, do not let these issues put you of from reading the book, as it is easy to look beyond these to the real story that is told.

Review by Harold Bernard

Title: So You Want To Be A Cop...
Author: Robert Rattenbury
Publisher: Rangitawa Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9951046-9-3
RRP: $38.00
Available: print and ebook for kindle from Amazon. Print from Rangitawapublishing.com or author randjrattenbury@xtra.co.nz

Story for reading and interacting

23/3/2019

Kuwi's Rowdy Crowd
by Kat Merewether 

The storyline is easy for youngsters to follow. And throughout this delightful book you will find the most glorious artwork! Vivid and uncluttered.
    All Kuwi the Kiwi wants is to sit down with a quiet cup of tea.
But wherever she goes someone turns up to shatter the peace...
    When Kuwi heads upstairs for a bubble bath, taking her hot cuppa with her, hovering Huwi follows her. A flock of whio are already frolicking in Kuwi's bath full of bubbles.
Huwi finds them most entertaining so Kuwi retreats with her now warm cup of tea to her quiet kitchen.
    But Huwi soon tracks her down bringing with him a couple of karate kicking kokako. What a performance and what a noise!
    So Kuwi silently scurries along to the spare room, where she sips her heated up cup of tea.
But this spare room is not to be her peaceful place. Huwi rolls in with a rowdy rapping ruru.
    So off goes ever-patient Kuwi again seeking a quiet space outside on her tranquil terrace. And there she begins to sip her lukewarm cuppa.
But before long, the noisy Huwi has found her again and sets about tap-dancing with a troupe of tap-dancing tomtits...
    Will Kuwi ever find a peaceful spot to drink her cup of tea? No, even in the stillness and silence of the swamp Huwi stampedes in with a singing swarm of cicadas.
    Finally the ever patient Kuwi has had enough.
"Quiet!" she cries.
And it is.
But is this new silence what she really wants – now she has it.
    This is a great story book for reading and interacting with youngsters. They can chime in at any stage and try to guess what Huwi will produce next in the way of his rowdy crowd.
    And hopefully children will also realise that sometimes all mum wants is five minutes to drink her cup of tea in peace.
    Well done, Kat Merewether.

Review by Susan Tarr

Title: Kuwi's Rowdy Crowd
Author: Kat Merewether
Publisher: Illustrated Publishing
ISBN: 9780994136459
RRP: $19.99
Available: bookshops

Thought-provoking and entertaining

19/3/2019

Ocean of Milk
by Belinda Aycrigg

Two points about this novel to begin with –
One – it’s 473 pages. A book this long has to be very good to hold a reader’s attention.
Two – look at the cover design and the image of a woman clasping a child and with multiple arms, each holding an object, most of them weapons. If it means anything to you you’ll be better equipped to appreciate some of the images and ideas ahead. If not, that’s okay too.
Imagine, as an adult, suddenly finding yourself stripped of memory, having to relearn all by which you define yourself – words, relationships. “You’re like a toddler” – and those who you’re told are your husband, and your small children set out to teach you again.
Even better, perhaps, imagine you’re an alien, instantly transported to Earth, having to learn from the beginning about this new place. Well, not fully, because while Amalia can’t name even everyday objects she does retain some abilities, such as reading and driving. Such anomalies are indicative of the confusion in her mind and also an indication that not all encountered in her story will follow a logical path.
Through Amalia’s experience following an episode of dissociative fugue, we see things pared to basics. Our world and society is examined without context and what is revealed will make us think. For me, this aspect, which occurs in the earlier part of the book, is the most interesting.
Following her journey as she tries to reconcile different lives is often heart-wrenching, frequently funny, and always entertaining.
I made a mistake in my approach to her story, however. I used my rational mind and tried to analyse and interpret in order to get it all to fit neatly, and so I could anticipate the direction it was moving. I think now it’s better to suspend such thought, relax, and go along for the ride with mind open.
There are lots of rides during the telling, literally – some quite extraordinary.
After all, the genre is magical realism. At the same time, there’s a strong theme of environmentalism maintained throughout. It’s a book that doesn’t let you settle into an established pattern – rather, it’s testing you all the way.
By the end of the 473 pages? It could be you’ll be satisfied, still wondering, or perhaps more confused than when you began. But you should have found the journey thought-provoking and entertaining.

Review by Bronwyn Elsmore

Title: Ocean of Milk
Author: Belinda Aycrigg
Publisher: 99% Press
ISBN: 9780473404192s
RRP: $34.99
Available: bookshops

Underworld of arms dealing

14/3/2019

The Reluctant Assassin
by Alexander Logan

I’m glad I read this book, with reservations though. In spite of the things that annoyed me, I found myself reading to the end to see how things panned out.
I was introduced to the underworld of arms dealings where the complexities of Islamic faith are used by fanatics or those just wanting to make a buck. Written from the perspective of Tom, an Australian surgeon and Kaye the journalist woman he loves, we are taken to Afghanistan then to Marseille through kidnapping and abduction.
There is everything here to make this a spine-chilling read. Yet it was written predominantly in the tell-not-show style of writing which fails to grab, and I remained constantly uninvolved due to this. Characters revealed their philosophical and/or religious beliefs page after page. Often these were apparently deeply-held and life-long, only to be acted against paragraphs later. I did learn about the confusing complexities of Islam versus Christianity, though I felt that Tom’s own religious feelings were crowbarred into his character to provide a juxtaposition when the author was confronting Islam and the West’s view and understanding of it.
I am not a fan of characters regularly giving each other their names in conversation. It grates and I found this happened a lot through this story, and enough of the dialogue seemed oddly unconnected to be frustrating.
The plot hinged on a number of coincidences while Bakir’s stroll through illegality felt unconvincing at times. There was never a point when his abduction of Tom – really the start of everything – was considered terrible. Even Tom himself never actually seemed to hold the man a grudge.
I do think the constant setting up of philosophy and religious arguments and the tendency for each character to involved self-examination detracted from the pace. This is where the show-not-tell style has the edge when drama and thrills are needed.
An interesting read in some aspects, just not a thrilling one.

Review by TJ Ramsay

Title: The Reluctant Assassin
Author: Alexander Logan
Publisher: Wild Side Publishing
ISBN: 9780473448127
RRP: 34.99 
Available: Bookshops

Highly recommended collection

7/3/2019

These Islands Here: Short Stories of the South Pacific
by Bronwyn Elsmore

Good short story writing is a difficult genre but the ease the reader has with these stories shows the author Bronwyn Elsmore has captured and corralled that genre.
Thirty-two stories divided into decades give this collection an attractive style. There is an introduction to each decade so the reader is well located in the era each story is set.
These are our stories. These are narratives which underscore our culture; give pictures of who we are or perhaps who we would like to be. We are New Zealanders. We are the South Pacific. Our connection to the stories is strong.
Elsmore is good at encouraging your own imagination to meld with the story, and like all good story tellers at the end we are left wondering ‘what next’? She is clever at leading the reader along to assume a conclusion and then introduce a twist at the end.
Unlike the sin of having a favourite child I think it is perfectly usual to find a story that becomes a favourite. For me it was “Last Night I dreamt I was Kate Sheppard”. This story is skilful, tightly written, with a witty strand of humour.
Many of these stories have been in print, several have been prize winners and rightly so. Some have been read on Radio NZ so it is a joy to have them now in a collection to read and re-read.
Highly recommended.

Review by Rae McGregor

Title: These Islands Here – Short Stories of the South Pacific
Author: Bronwyn Elsmore
Publisher: Flaxroots
ISBN: 9780992249175 print; 9780992249168 ebook
RRP: $29.99
Available: Print in NZ: Bookshops, Amazon. Ebook for kindle: Amazon
Trade enquiries: www.flaxroots.com or email flaxroots@gmail.com

Celebration of WCs

5/3/2019

Kiwi-As Toilets: Where to go when you need to go in New Zealand
by Jo Knox

Keep this book in your car for your convenience. If you groaned at that, wait till you read all the toilet references in the Preface.
The author, Jo Knox, begins her Introduction “no other country does toilets like New Zealand does! And yet interesting toilets are possibly one of New Zealand’s best-kept secrets! Kiwi-as Toilets aims to start the ball rolling (or should that be ballcock rolling?!) in giving our country’s top toilets the recognition they deserve. Not only will Kiwi-as toilets guide you where to go when you need to go, these toilets are places you will want to go to when you don’t even need to!”
What follows is coverage of noteworthy loos she has viewed, from Kawakawa to Invercargill – 40 in North Island and 25 in South Island. Together, they show that even this most utilitarian of facilities can be a work of art.
Of course she begins in Kawakawa with the famous Hunterwasser masterpiece which no doubt inspired other places in the country to reboot their bogs. Sorry, it’s catching!
Lots, but not all, are quirky. For instance, Paihia’s “wee toilets” have toilet bowls adorning its roof, apparently serving as planters rather than for after-hours or climbers’ use; and just around the bay the “wharehoroi” in the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is gleaming in glass and concrete yet designed to blend with the surrounding bush.
The selected edifices are aflush with murals, together featuring local history, outdoor activities, scenery, motifs of native flowers and birds, or with toilet humour.
Most are public facilities, but to view/use some you’ll have to visit business premises – bars, cafés, restaurants particularly. The restrooms at White and Wong’s in Auckland’s Viaduct area rate a special mention – see the book for details – but the supreme award must go to the internationally recognized non-block design at The Redwoods, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua.
Tread gingerly when you’ve gotta go at Wanaka’s Puzzling World and, men, be prepared to aim for either Donald Trump or Stephen Jones at Cowboys in Queenstown.
Every page of Kiwi-As Toilets has colour photos to support the descriptions that give details on the artists and architects involved. Some of the names recur and one wonders if the CVs of these designers might be something of a toilet roll. Perhaps what impressed and astounded me most is the amount of money allocated to creating some of these designer dunnies.
If many of the loos are to be admired for their artistic merit, so is Kuljit Kaur's design of this book. Keep it in your glove-box for reference. There’re blank pages at the rear for adding to it when you come upon any notable examples that haven’t made it into this celebration of WCs.
Dare I suggest that the only thing it lacks is a few squares of toilet paper, just in case one of them lets you down.

Review by Al Fabet

Title: Kiwi-As Toilets: Where to go when you need to go in New Zealand
Author: Jo Knox
Publisher: Kiwi-as Toilets co
ISBN: 9780473449476
RRP: $29.99
Available: bookshops or http://kiwiastoilets.co.nz

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