Three years ago, I was lucky enough to review Becky Manawatu’s brilliant debut novel, Aue. Kataraina is the sequel. Every reader will have read novels in which they wished they knew more about a certain character, their background, how they came to where they are in life. With Kataraina Becky Manawatu has done exactly this.

This novel tells the story of Kataraina, a character who played an integral role in Aue, connecting characters while remaining in the shadows.

The novel is narrated by the collective voice of the Te Au family or whanau, giving the story the same spiritual, ghostly feel of the first book. The main narrative arc belongs to Kataraina. Short chapters reveal her life from baby to adult, but not in a linear fashion. Chapters jump back and forth in time, creating different versions of Kataraina. Through Kataraina’s thoughts, the complex theme of domestic abuse and violence and the damage and devastation it inflicts is explored. This format can be confusing at first but stick with it.

The second narrative arc connects to Kataraina’s story in the form of a swamp that is growing at an alarming rate at the site of where the tragedy of the first book took place. A research group is studying it trying to find how it is growing. Again, there is a strong spiritual, ghostly feeling around this swamp that is almost a character itself.

Written in a very different style, very descriptive and poetic, it was a joy revisiting these characters. If you loved Aue then I wholeheartedly recommend reading it again just before reading this. Important connections will be easily revealed.

Reviewed by Neale Lucas

Read a book review of Aue by Becky Manawatu

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Becky Manawatu (Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe, Waitaha) is a West Coast author and journalist. She was born in Nelson and grew up in Waimangaroa, living now in Westport with her family. Her debut novel, Aue, won Aotearoa’s leading fiction prizes and became one of the country’s all-time fiction bestsellers.

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