The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
At The Grand Glacier Hotel – Laurence Fearnley
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
Libby Holt is on holiday with husband Curtis but due to unforeseen circumstances she ends up staying at the majestic Grand Glacier Hotel by herself. A new friendship and a quest with hidden clues keep her entertained but her concerns return to her ailing health. This is the third of Fearnley’s novels aimed at the senses, this book being built on the experience of sound.
Though I had played out numerous scenarios of my death, ranging from the quietly dignified to the tragically operatic, I had never imagined that I might die in a puddle on a nature walk.
● I felt enveloped by the almost mystical setting of the West Coast while reading and felt myself often wanting to return to At the Grand Glacier Hotel not so much for the storyline, but more so for the sense of place and how it made me feel. The author did well to accurately depict the weird and lonely journey of recovery from cancer. – Suzy
● Fearnley’s books always have atmospheric settings with the natural environment often playing a character. This book is no different. Set in Franz Josef on the West Coast, mountains, glaciers, rivers and forests play crucial roles in the narrative. However the story is Libby’s, of her survival and rehabilitation from a cancerous tumour on her leg which makes usual movement difficult. Her husband is blocked from remaining to her by a storm and I really liked the idea of the environment cocooning her in this beautiful sanctuary where she is able to physical and emotional heal on her own terms. It’s a not a book full of dramatics but a quiet story of recovery and gives both the ageing and the ailing more air time than most fiction does. – Rachel
Published 2024
Penguin
280 pages
Amma – Saraid de Silva
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
The migrant story of three generations of women in a Sri Lankan family. Josephina, who grew up in 1950s Singapore and her daughter Sithara who move from Colombo to Invercargill, and granddaughter Annie who moves between many cities looking for a place to call home. Not only do the women have their travels in common but also their struggles as victims of violence and racism.
She grinds her teeth, chews them to dust, opens her mouth and lets ash fall out. In the grit she tastes the horrified looks of the priest and the schoolchildren and her sour-lipped teachers. She summons demons from her stomach and vomits lava over everyone stupid enough to look at her.
● This is a brutal look at the diasporic experience in New Zealand’s diverse multi-cultural society and shows how difficult it can be for marginalised communities to find a sense of belonging and to be accepted in a place with an evolving national identity. It certainly has a place in our literary landscape especially representing Asian New Zealanders and the queer community. It does include a lot of trauma though and is sometimes hard to read. Trigger warnings are required for sexual assault, domestic violence, racism, rejection and psychological abuse. Reading Amma is like being filled to the brim with emotion, whether that’s a good thing or not is up to the individual reader. – Rachel
● The way Amma jolted the reader between settings was like going from a hot sauna to a cold plunge pool (although the cold plunge pool was Invercargill so I imagine it being quite grimy and kind of gross). There was a strong sense of displacement in this novel, and even those characters who should have ‘belonged’ in their settings were often still wildly unsettled. Aspects of Amma felt perhaps more forced than they should have, and the depictions of violence were at times unnecessarily visceral. – Suzy
Published 2024
Moa Press
282 pages
Poorhara – Michelle Rahurahu
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
Written by Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whaoa) Poorhara uses a play on the word Pōhara (poverty), and is about living without – without money or possessions, and without the same rights and respect as others. The plot follows Erin and Whetu (Star) who are cousins traversing the North Island in an old car, with a nameless dog, visiting places and people. The cousins are seeking belonging and their true home as they carry the burden of their ancestor’s traumas and face adversity at every turn.
I’ve been to all those courses, cuz, I’ve sat in every room that they’ve told me to sit in, I’ve gone to every clinic there is to fix my life—but you know what every piece-of-shit administrator or social worker or pig really wants? They want to find a reason to take the kids away and raise them in perfect little white houses and leave me to die for the sin of bringing them into the world.
● Poorhara is an exploration of how traditional and modern Māori experiences, expectations and values combine and clash in a white world – from journeys, lineages and identity, to societal outcomes and racism.
The journey the cousins are undertaking encompass and experience all of these aspects in what is quite an Odyssessian journey but with “a Maaui vibe”. It incudes myths, beautiful New Zealand landscapes and the use of all three official NZ languages.
Star mentions how love stories are never about the poor. And while not a love story, Poorhara is a literary, poetic and intelligent piece of work that features people poor financially but rich spiritually, and I really valued that tapestry of contemplation. – Rachel
Published 2024
Te Herenga Waka University Press
336 pages
The Empusium – Olga Tokarczuk
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Jodie
Mieczysław, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at the Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen but discovers there are many mysterious goings on, involving deaths, misogyny and the occult. Set in a Polish sanatorium in 1913, The Empusium blends horror, comedy, folklore, and feminist parable.
“Do you know what is the most common mistake people make when they’re in danger? Each one thinks their life is unique, and that death doesn’t affect them. No one believes in their own death. Do you think I believe in my own death?”
● The Empusium combines a haunting, atmospheric setting with a slow burn narrative, and I was under constant tension that something ominous was about to happen. Tokarczuk hates to define her novels into one genre but included the horror element to portray the topic of hidden violence and misogyny that is rife in our culture. Her use of misogynistic views from famous thinkers was a clever way to represent this. I found it the whole book mesmerising and unsettling and really enjoyed it. I recommend it. – Jodie
● The Empusium is a brilliant book. It expertly mixes several genres so I could never predict what was going to happen next. There is an air of seductive tension that left me enraged, confused, shocked and on the edge of my seat. I was in disbelief to learn all the misogynistic comments in the book are real quotes from some of the most revered men in history. I am so pleased Tokarczuk called them out and brought to light how these have affected and are still affecting women today. Also, I loved the ending. Tokarczuk is a master! – Rachel
Published in Polish 2022
Translated into English by Antonia Lloyd Jones 2024
Riverhead Books
320 pages
Ash – Louise Wallace
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
Thea is a veterinarian on maternity leave, called back in just before disaster strikes. Ash has a focus on motherhood, misogyny, female expression, rage and Mother Nature. This novella is presented creatively with prose, poetry, footnotes and unique typesetting.
Work is a holiday and I smile into the beautiful quiet.
● Ash is a small book but delivers a real literary punch. I read this in one sitting and was so wowed I went right back and read it again. There are no wasted words and its amazing how in so few words Wallace can build such full characters and storylines.
The narrative is reinforced in several ways, in footnotes which contain another version of the story, creative/arty presentation of key information and metaphorically with Mother Earth mimicking Thea’s rage. Usually I dislike this kind of presentation but it really worked here, especially to reinforce the misogyny that working mothers face.
The book has a kind of rural noir feel, where the small mindedness and remoteness of country life can swallow you up. Animals as well as people are given attention and all receive plenty of mothering and care in these pages. – Rachel
Published 2024
Te Herenga Waka University Press
160 pages
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
The Granddaughter – Bernhard Schlink
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel
A study of Germany’s reunification via a collection of people who all represent a different faction or ideology. Kaspar is a West German bookseller whose wife dies. He discovers and tracks down newly discovered family members and attempts to educate them away from their ingrained neo-Nazi beliefs.
I’m not proud of Germany. Why should I be proud of something that isn’t my doing? But I can’t imagine being anything other than German. Is that enough?
● Historical fiction is a favourite genre of mine so I thoroughly enjoyed The Granddaughter.
One of the most compelling aspects for me was the East vs West German perspective and how contrasting their worldviews and daily life were. I felt I learned a lot about Germany and the deeply ingrained beliefs that many held. I was especially shocked to learn that some East Germans genuinely believed the Holocaust didn’t happen, and the conversations and relationships built around that ideology brought the book to life for me.
I found the first half of the novel especially engaging. The early sections, which establish Kaspar’s motivations and the post-reunification setting, introduce lots of plot points which piqued my interest. Kaspar’s attempt to educate his granddaughter was considerately done. He could have been a lot more forceful in trying to make her see sense of her neo-Nazi views but chose the more restrained path and I appreciated that this made for a more pleasant reading experience. As the novel progressed, I felt that the momentum slowed somewhat, and the latter half did not hold my interest as strongly.
Overall I thought The Granddaughter was an insightful and compelling read and I would recommend it. – Jodie
The guilt I felt from growing up in the shadow of death prevented me from rebelling; would it have prevented me from being ambitious, as well?
● I am fascinated with books set in Germany when the Berlin Wall was in place. I remember when the Wall came down and find it staggering that we are still learning different aspects of what both East and West Berliners went through. The Granddaughter introduced another aspect I hadn’t fully realised before, and that is how difficult reunification was. East Germans had been sheltered from the world for so long they often felt looked down upon, and some could not comprehend, or outright denied, the reality of Hitler’s atrocities. Schlink captures this dynamic perfectly.
While Kaspar, the protagonist, is the moral compass for all the characters who were in denial, and did have all the right arguments, I did find his desire to save everyone a little suffocating. Perhaps this is how those stepping out of East Berlin felt about their well-meaning Western counterparts.
There are several sub plots that detail the journeys different people chose to take or were forced to take as they navigated trying times and survival under Communist rule, and all of these are fascinating. Every character felt like a real person and I was invested in their journeys. At first I wasn’t sure about the ending, but after talking it through with Jodie, I came to appreciate Schlink’s narrative style—where the big twists are revealed early on and then slowly unravelled over the rest of the book. – Rachel
Published in Germany 2021
Translated into English by Charlotte Collins 2025
HarperVia
336 pages
2025: World Tour
Choosing our reading list each year is a reminder of how many amazing books are out there waiting to be discovered. There are stories profound and life changing, and sometimes it’s pure luck if what we choose ends up being the one that takes our breath away or if we accidentally overlook something special.
To help with our decision making and have a focus point for 2025, we’ve decided to take a literary world tour — figuratively, at least! Our goal is to read books from as many different countries as we can, diving into their diverse cultures, histories, complexities and joys. We want to explore what makes different societies unique, and how this shapes their resulting literature.
We are going to adopt this migratory strategy in our approach to bookclub scheduling, too. What works for book club members can change from month to month. Sometimes it’s tricky to find a date that works for everyone, and other times we’re bursting with books we want to discuss. So, we’re widening our net a bit, aiming to tackle more books but adding flexibility to our schedule. This way, we can adjust our expectations and capacity to keep book club fun and stress-free.
We’ll remain the free-range book club we’ve always been. Members can dip in and out as they please, and they’ll always find a home with us thanks to our shared love of literature. That said, we’ll be saying goodbye to one of our longest-standing members, Jo, this year. She’s been with us for an incredible 17 years, and we’re grateful for all the books she’s introduced us to and her insightful observations of them. We will welcome new members into the fold in 2025, our 19th year! We’re looking forward to meeting more people who adore reading, and chatting about and reviewing what they’ve read.
[May update] In keeping with our go-with-the-flow vibe, it has taken as a while to plan out the whole year’s reading, but finally here it is. Plus we’ve attracted some new bookies and we welcome Sally, Bridget and Tessa into the freerange family.
Bookclub schedule 2025:
– The Granddaughter by Bernhard Schlink, Translated by Charlotte Collins (Germany)
– The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Poland)
– Her Side Of The Story by Alba De Cespedes, Translated by Jill Foulston (Italy)
– Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Australia, Antarctic)
– Before The Queen Falls Asleep by Huzama Habayeb, Translated by Heikkinen (Palestine)
– The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (New Zealand, UK)
– Endling by Maria Reva (Ukraine)
– Hum by Helen Phillips (US)
– Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Ireland)
– The Militia House by John Milas (US, Afghanistan)
– As Rich As The King by Abigail Assor (Morocco)
2024: End Of Year Thoughts
Realism, or, rather, our perception of it, is a gauge of how we make sense of the world. From debating whether social media posts are genuine and questioning controversial theories and figures, to judging the sincerity of public and private statements, society is increasingly drawn to the comfort of what feels real and what we can trust amongst the constructed realities of our lives.
Our reading in 2024 mirrored this. Perhaps it’s the growing maturity of our book club (18 years this year!) or the sheer volume of books we’ve worked through over the years that prompted us to dig a little deeper.
In 2024 we tackled books that took on deeply real and affecting topics: grief (Bird Life), justice (Chain-Gang All-Stars), misogyny (Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982), bullying (Bunny), menopause (All Fours), racism (Passing), and even the loss of the will to live (Martyr!), plus several books which explored humanity, societal expectations and family dynamics. Despite the weight of these subjects, the authors found ways to infuse humour, satire, the supernatural, and history to transform heavy themes into compelling reads without reducing their reliability as reflections of society.
We saw this urgency for realism even beyond our booklist. Authors retelling real life past and current events, climate fiction gaining a dedicated prize, celebrity bookclubs highlighting important texts, cross-medium writers, and whispers of plagiarism – the scope of the written word feels more abuzz than ever.
When I go back to the places of the past, nothing is there anymore, as if I have made the whole thing up. It is as if life were just a dream placed in the window to cool, like a pie, then stolen. [I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore]
At our end-of-year book club, we found we agreed in many of our standout moments. Best character? Marcellus, the charismatic octopus from Remarkably Bright Creatures. Most memorable locations? Rural Poland in Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead and the motel room in All Fours. Plus, we couldn’t stop talking about Miranda July – her author bio is as fascinating as her work. Best ending? Definitely Passing. Worst book? Sorry Lorrie Moore, you got that gong for I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home.
We didn’t agree on every topic, and here are some of our other ratings to prove it, including the coveted Book Of The Year.
Least Liked Character
Rachel: Lily from I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home
Suzy: All the men in Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Jo: Shakespeare in Hamnet
Jodie: The stepmother in Whale Bone Theatre
Best Couple
Rachel: Davy and unnamed main character in All Fours
Suzy: Loretta & Staxx in Chain-Gang All-Stars
Jo: Loretta & Staxx in Chain-Gang All-Stars
Jodie: Marcellus and Tova in Remarkably Bright Creatures
Most Enjoyable Moment (Spoiler Alert!!)
Rachel: Orkideh and Cyrus’ last chat in Martyr!
Suzy: Marcellus and Tova communicating in Remarkably Bright Creatures
Jo: Discovering who the murderer was in Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead
Jodie: Tova releasing the octopus in Remarkably Bright Creatures
Runner Up Best Book
Rachel: All Fours
Suzy: Bunny
Jo: Bunny
Jodie: All Fours
Book Of The Year
Rachel: Martyr!
Suzy: All Fours
Jo: Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead
Jodie: Bunny
It’s hard to be knocked down when you’re on all fours. [All Fours by Miranda July]
Martyr! – Kaveh Akbar
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel
Cryus Shams is an Iranian immigrant and a recently sober poet grappling with addiction, cultural disconnection and the loss of his mother, whose plane was shot down by the US navy. In his exploration of what it means to live well and die well, Cyrus becomes friends with a dying artist at the Brooklyn Museum. Martyr! is an exploration of identity, grief, inherited trauma, art and martyrdom.
It’s easy for people who have sacrificed nothing to rationalize their own ordinariness by calling me lucky. But I sacrificed my entire life; I sold it to the abyss. And the abyss gave me art.
● Martyr! is a book that extensively examines death, but I did not find it sad. Rather I found the treatment of death as a lens to examine life and existence. Martyrdom was not conveyed as a religious or immoral aspiration but as something meaningful that encapsulated and concluded the goodness of life. Shouldn’t our death mean something, just as we hope our life has purpose? It is a profound book where every sentence is raw and poetic. I felt stunned by the book’s beauty and hope Akbar writes many more works of art in the future. – Rachel
● I read this novel over a hectic two-week period and as a result found it hard to give my full focus which left me feeling a little removed. During bookclub discussions I came to truly appreciate and understand that Akbar redefined martyrdom as a struggle not for religious or political glory, but for personal meaning amid a life of addiction, grief, and cultural displacement. This gave it more meaning for me that I originally garnered. – Jodie
● Martyr! brought the reader along on the journey, from Iraninan army recruitment to the Brooklyn Museum. While there were aspects of the plot, particularly the parent-child relationship, that felt somewhat implausible, overall I enjoyed experiencing the world through Cyrus’s eyes. – Suzy
Published in 2024
Knopf
352 pages
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