2020 The Year for New Zealand Debut Authors
2020 is feeling like the year of outstanding debuts and I’ve been privileged to read some fantastic works, particularly of non-fiction and memoir, by first-time New Zealand authors. I wanted to highlight a few standouts for me, in part because although we might be a tiny nation, we’re punching above our weight on the literary scene:
Fake Baby by Amy McDaid
Fiction. Penguin NZ , ISBN: 9780143774631
This contemporary fiction novel takes places over the course of a single week and follows three Aucklanders whose lives intersect with one another. Stephen, trying to escape the spectre of his father, is readmitted into the inpatient psychiatric unit that he has circled through since he was a young man. Lucas became a pharmacist to try and find a medication that would help his mother’s bipolar. A simple dispensing error erodes his fragile self-belief. Jaanvi is mourning the loss of her newborn son and steals the titular “fake baby” trying to soothe the empty ache in her arms. An unsettling and compelling novel about how easy it is to become untethered from the lives that we build for ourselves.
Auē by Becky Manawatu
Fiction. Mākaro Press, ISBN: 9780995111028
The 2020 winner of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, Auē is the story of two brothers. Eight year-old Ārama is left with relatives in rural Kaikōura whilst his elder brother Taukiri escapes to the city following the death of their parents. The narrative moves back and forth between the two brothers before it shifts back in time to interweave the story of Jade and Toko. It’s only towards the end of the novel that you understand how all of these characters intersect. The intergenerational trauma and violence in the book are balanced by the sweetness of Ārama, his friendship with Beth and the tenderness of the writing.
Not That I’d Kiss a Girl by Lil O’Brien
Memoir. Allen & Unwin, ISBN: 9781988547589
Lil was nineteen when her parents overheard her on the phone saying to her best friend that she liked girls. Kicked out of the house, Lil had to figure out her sexuality and build a life outside of her family. In New Zealand in the late 90’s to the early 2000’s, LGBTQIA+ representation in print media and on screen was minimal. This poignant and genuinely funny read reinforced for me the importance of representation in books, TV and on film.
Ripiro Beach by Caroline Barron
Memoir. Bateman Books, ISBN: 9781988538204
The opening chapters of Ripiro beach are like a riptide, pulling you out from the safety of the shore and submerging you in the traumatic birth story of Caroline’s second daughter. There is a openness and a vulnerability to the writing that keeps you turning the pages as Caroline seeks to understand her heritage and herself more deeply through her family’s history.
Know Your Place by Golriz Ghahraman
Memoir. HarperCollins NZ, ISBN: 1775541428
Golriz Ghahraman is a remarkable woman. A human rights lawyer who worked for the UN, she is now a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the Green Party. At the age of nine, she and her parents fled Iran and sought asylum in New Zealand. Know Your Place is her memoir of her early life in Iran to the time of the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019. I found her views on the New Zealand legal system and insights into the UN fascinating. Political in the best of senses, this book is a salient reminder of how much work still needs to be done to weed out oppression and prejudice.
All Who Live on Islands by Rose Lu
Essay/ Memoir. Victoria University Press, ISBN: 1776562895
Strictly speaking this collection of autobiographical essays came out in late 2019, but it’s a favourite, so I’m including it here. Rose moved to New Zealand from China with her parents at the age of three. Over the course of nine essays, she explores her Chinese cultural identity through family, food and travel. She notes that she had internalised the same narrow, stereotypical views of China that surrounded her in New Zealand and her joy in discovering her rich cultural heritage is a delight to read.