Chappy – Patricia Grace

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS

“A deserter of the Japanese army stows away on a ship to New Zealand at the onset of WWII. Known as Chappy, he remains in the country illegally and marries a Māori woman. Decades later his grandson wishes to learn of his history, including the intolerance, cross-cultural conflicts and desire to belong he experienced. As a result many family secrets are unearthed.

➤ “There is a wandering spirit about this book which transcends the family secret, but mimics the journeys of our ancestors, and the paths we travel to come together as family.

“Told through interweaving narratives, in (translated) Maori, Japanese and English, the characters in Chappy each bring their part of an international story, one that details the Maori story but also its place amongst the stories of others. There is no doubt this is a New Zealand story – it has mana; it is a story that relishes whanau and belonging.

“The multi-narration style takes a little getting used at the beginning but soon after I eased into it and found it did not disrupt the plot lines. This book is also a fascinating example of some of the untold stories of war, and the surprises keep coming right until the end.” – Rachel

➤ “Patricia Grace’s (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa) Chappy is a heartwarming and heartbreaking love story. As much as I enjoyed the novel there were times when the characters felt one-dimensional and I found myself hungry for more information on their motivations and also the setting they were in.

“Perhaps this was due to the story being a retelling of past events rather than being ‘here and now’. Also of course we do not hear directly from the lovely Chappy and instead have an interpretation of his life from those close to him.

“This is my first Patricia Grace novel (shame on me) and despite not fully connecting with the writing I would like to read more of her work so I can gain a greater sense of her style.” – Suzy

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Published 2015
Penguin Books
256 pages