All That We Know – Shilo Kino

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS

Māreikura is analysing her identity and begins a programme of “decolonisation”.  Via her outspoken and inquisitive nature she leads us through a witty, poignant and accidental exploration of the effects of colonisation, which, the book explains, was not a one time event, but continues today.

I don’t want to be a pioneer. I want to be the last; to enjoy the fruits of everyone else’s hard labour.

●  By making Māreikura an accidental activist, Kino (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) details the pressure placed on the younger generation to rectify the wrongs of the past, and at what cost that will be. She raises and examines many ideas and melds them seamlessly into a strong plot featuring this main character who critiques others and who is critiqued herself so that we, the readers, are able to explore the full gambit of pros and cons on how to reclaim what has been lost to colonisation.

While it sounds serious, the book is also fun and funny. Māreikura is a full character with story threads dedicated to her loves, her friends and her family. I read it in two sittings, and once finished, the book left me thinking about things I thought I had already formed my opinions on.  This was one of my top reads in 2024. – Rachel

Published 2024
Moa Press
333 pages