The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Delirious – Damien Wilkins
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
Retired cop and librarian Mary and Pete are struggling with ailments and deciding whether to move into a retirement home or stay in their family home. Then the police ask to speak to them about the accident that killed their son 40 years ago. A book about the dilemmas that come with being lucky enough to reach old age, and the enduring impact of the past.
With her now tiny legs folded up against her body as the sling raised and lowered her, she looked like a delicate animal, a foal perhaps, being weighed.
● The older generation is often stereotyped in fiction so it was nice to read something that had a positive and honest focus on the subtleties of everyday life for this sector of the community. The first part of the story that piqued my interest was the plot line of new information about their son’s death, but I felt like there was too much padding inbetween returning to this narrative. It could have been woven in better. But overall I did like this story. It isn’t grandiose and doesn’t try to be clever, with crazy twists and turns, but rather has realistically crafted characters dealing with bad health, grief, familial relationships, as well as upheavals and second chances. – Rachel
● A beautifully paced exploration of ageing, family and grief, with a side of reality-of-a-long-term-marriage. There was something captivating about following Peter and Mary and their relatively gentle lives, and looking back through their years was both illuminating and sad. The author did a near perfect job of describing the characters and settings and each person and place we came across seemed utterly recognisable. – Suzy
Published 2024
Te Herenga Waka University Press
312 pages
Pretty Ugly – Kirsty Gunn
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
Thirteen darkly compelling stories look directly into the troubled human heart and draw out what dwells there. The ‘ugly’ of these stories is to do with ‘considering how much a person’s life can bear’. The unease and compassion for the human condition told in intelligent prose with a strong dose of introspection.
Great fatted Chrysanthemums held by skinny stems jostled up next to double-headed tulips and phlox; massed foliage poked out above the many greasy hearts of lilies. And were those thistles? Yes. Thistles, too, and other unkind-looking items were arranged among the rest. This was a posy with no theme or unity—and was it even…fresh?
● As the deadline of the Ockham’s draws near I haven’t quite gotten through all of these short stories, but I loved most of what I did manage to finish. One was so painful to read I felt like I was slicing into my nerves with each page and for that reason I should be grateful it was a short story. What an extraordinary author. – Suzy
● I enjoyed Pretty Ugly more as a work of art than a fictional reading experience. I was impressed by the intelligent prose and enjoyed the metafictional stories that reflected on the nature of storytelling and the book’s own construction. But, as I often feel with short stories, I was unable to completely let myself go and grow with the ever changing narrative like I can with a novel. – Rachel
Published 2024
Rough Trade Books
218 pages
The Mires – Tina Makereti
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS
Three neighbouring families in a small New Zealand town become acquaintances, some get along, others are suspicious of each other. Some share an attraction, another has a strange gift for premonition and another is acting cagey and has secrets to hide. They live in a coastal town that is succumbing to the effects of climate change and while the nearby mires stir, history, tradition and the future of the characters’ lives and of ours are explored.
Water will come and you think it will be soft. You think it will be smooth and find its way around your your houses and cars and furniture, your gardens and windows and hope. But water can be the foot of an elephant, the horns of a moose, a herd of buffalo running from a lion, water can be the kauri falling in the forest, a two-tonne truck, a whole stadium filled with 50,000 people, screaming … Water is life, and water can be death.
● The swampiness that is at the crux of this book really crept into all parts of the narrative. I always felt under water, being pulled this way and that between the characters stories, and like there was a slow dread creeping up on me. The characters were all perfectly formed and though kind of expected – old racist white lady, Māori single mum, lovely but hard done by immigrants – they did all fill out and become their own characters. Very good combination of climate/immigrant/social rights into one story. Plus there was a creepy thriller plot and a really great ending. – Rachel
● I felt like sobbing after finishing The Mires, but as I was in public I unhealthily held it in. Each of the characters carries their own sadness/loss (maybe apart from Walty, the toddler) which permeates the novel and there was the sense of grief lingering past the final pages. The overwhelm from the weather event in the novel reminded me of Brannavan Gnanalingam’s Sodden Downstream, and the uneasiness I feel from the way those who could do with the most support are the most easily dismissed is the same. – Suzy
Published 2024
Ultimo Press
309 pages
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
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