Another wonderful novel has been hiding on my bookshelf for years. It's truly amazing how long it took me to finally pick it up!

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This story is set in the beautiful country of New Zealand and features three main characters. First, there's Kerewin, a 30-something lady who is half Māori. She leads a solitary and self-sufficient life in "the Tower". Then, there's Simon, a seven-year-old mute little boy who was rescued from a shipwreck when he was two, with no other survivors. And finally, there's Joe Gillayley, a part Māori factory worker who is the father of Simon.

The book delves into two conflicting themes. On one hand, there's the sense of individual self-worth. Kerewin initially believes that she doesn't need anyone else in her life. But on the other hand, there's the commitment of self to others, which is essential for a meaningful life. This is shown when she allows her privacy to be invaded by the little castaway, who is both affectionate and a compulsive thief.

The author, who was herself part Māori, also touches on important topics such as multi-cultural identity and the exploitation of native peoples in her New Zealand homeland. I really enjoyed learning more about the Māori culture through this book. The liberal sprinkling of Māori phrases throughout added an extra layer of authenticity. Luckily, there's a glossary at the end of my paperback copy, which provides translations of the words and phrases and the page numbers where they appeared.

If this book is lurking on your shelf or TBR list, I highly recommend that you pick it up and start reading. You won't be disappointed!

ATY Goodreads Challenge 2022
Prompt #18 - A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author

What a truly strange style Hulme has employed to present her story!

It likely took me around 15 or 20 pages to finally figure out how to read this book. But once it opened up for me - wow! By page 34, I had fallen in love with both Kerewin (an artist estranged from her art, an exile from her family, who dislikes people, especially children) and Simon (the child, naturally speechless, which is less expected).

By the halfway point, Hulme has veered away from the sunny view of "cranky loner woman falls in love with strange child and all is happy." No, as beautiful as that might have been, there is so much more to the story. The child is severely abused. Kerewin comes to know who the abuser is and has to figure out what, if anything, to do. Remember, she doesn't like children in the first place, and now she has fallen into this huge responsibility. As more and more is revealed to the reader, she also begins to feel responsible. And then, the reader comes to see some of this through the eyes of the abuser, who is actually a human being, in addition to being a monster. It becomes extremely hard reading. It's difficult to read and even harder to put down!

And then the monster does the unthinkable. Kerewin surely bears some of the responsibility/guilt, if not all of the blame. It's horrible, just horrible. And it's clearly the end of their story. But there are well over 100 pages to go, so where and how?

The book then takes off in a completely unexpected direction. I'm not sure if the rest of the tale and the ending are satisfying or not. It reminds me of one of Rushdie's books, the one that got him in so much trouble; near the end, he (by way of a character) decided that, after all, nothing is unforgivable. I remember questioning that then, and I question it still.

This was, without a doubt, by far the worst book I have ever had the misfortune to read.

It was so bad that it almost made me lose my love for reading in general.

The book lacked any points of interest whatsoever. It failed to engage the reader at any point, leaving me completely disinterested and bored.

It took me an agonizingly long time, almost three months, to finally finish this abomination of literature.

In fact, when I had finally completed it, I seriously considered burning it just to rid myself of the memory of having read such a terrible piece of work.

I have read many challenging books in the past and have been able to find enjoyment in them, but this one was an absolute waste of my time.

So, I诚恳地奉劝 you, do yourself a huge favor and avoid reading this book at all costs.

An original, personal and visceral novel, which for me is the kind of book that justifies the existence of the Booker Prize.

The surface story is about the interactions between three difficult and damaged people. However, there is a great deal more to it than meets the eye. It is rich in Maori culture, mythology and language. Fortunately, most of the latter is translated in the glossary. Moreover, it features a mixture of first and third person narrative voices, including quite a lot of poetry.

That may sound complex, but the core story is truly gripping. Although I must admit that I didn't attempt to follow every single detail. Hulme's introduction reveals that it began as a short story, but the finished novel has evolved into something much more profound.

At the heart of the story is Kerewin Holmes, whose character is likely at least somewhat autobiographical. She is an artist of mixed European and Maori heritage, estranged from her family. She leads a self-sufficient and independent life in a tower she has constructed for herself on the New Zealand coast. Her life is disrupted when she discovers a mute boy with an injured foot in her tower. The boy is Simon (or Haimona), who turns out to be a survivor of a shipwreck in which his parents are presumed to have perished. The third character is Joe, who found Simon and adopted him with his now deceased wife. Both Joe and Kerewin are heavy drinkers. The story revolves around their interactions, conflicts and culture clashes.

The story delves into some challenging themes, particularly Joe's relationship with Simon, which combines extreme physical violence with a love that Simon craves more than anything else. Kerewin is asexual and detests physical contact. She is also fiercely independent. Part of the story involves the mystery of Simon's background. For instance, it is known that he already bore the scars of physical abuse before his adoption. I won't disclose too much more about the plot. I'm not entirely convinced by the happy ending, but it占据 such a small portion of the book that it almost feels like an afterthought.

In conclusion, this is a very interesting book, with a few flaws but likely to be highly memorable. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading it, but I would definitely recommend it.