Thursday, 10 November 2016

Days are Like Grass by Sue Younger

This is a great first novel (that doesn't read like a first novel) from Sue Younger, who was an award winning documentary maker for 20 years before giving that up to pursue her love of writing.  Days are Like Grass has already had the film rights purchased.

The plot has several interesting strands that gripped me from the beginning.
Paediatric surgeon Claire Bowerman has reluctantly returned to New Zealand from Britain with her Israeli partner Yossi; to him New Zealand is a safe paradise and he is keen to stay and marry Claire.  Claire however previously  left New Zealand as soon as she could to escape her infamous family name: her father was convicted and then years later acquitted of the murder of a young hitchhiker in the 1970's.
Claire also has a fifteen year old daughter Roimata; the result of a holiday
one- night stand with a Maori man whom Roimata has never met.  Through a chance meeting, Roimata is welcomed into her biological father's whanau despite Claire's reservations.
At the same time, a court injunction brings Claire back into the public eye, when the family of an ill child refuses life-saving surgery and opts for alternative and cultural healing methods.

Claire is a complex character; efficient, practical and good at her job, she works sensitively with the dysfunctional families of neglected children, yet keeps secrets from her loved ones and struggles to let go of her past. When her father becomes terminally ill she struggles to reconnect with him, despite her daughter and partner’s urging to forgive him.

Days are Like Grass is set in a glorious New Zealand summer in Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf, with themes of cultural misunderstanding, family secrets, and letting go of the past.

If you have not read a New Zealand novel for a while give this one a try– this is an absorbing story with engaging characters and a dynamic pace, great for a summer read!

Reviewed by Katrina
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Catalogue link: Days are Like Grass

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