by Louisa from Time Out Bookstore, Mt Eden, NZ, 1 August 2012
Today we’re talking about The
Peastick Girl by Susan Hancock, published out of Australia but written by
an ex-pat Kiwi writer, am I right?
That’s right, it’s published by a really small company
in Melbourne but it’s available in New Zealand, readily available.
So it really is quite important that it’s written by
an Australian I think, by an Australian-New Zealand, because it’s all about the
New Zealand landscape and its effect on people. It’s set in Wellington and
Wellington features almost like a character in it. It's just incredibly Gothic
and it's got all these descriptions of the weather and the wind sweeping across
the harbour and all the people in it are quite troubled and Gothic as well.
It’s really beautiful.
I really enjoy it when you get a
sense of place in a book like that.
Yes, absolutely. And I’m actually from Wellington so I
felt really nostalgic while I was reading it, and it’s pretty much spot on.
It’s all about youngish people making their way as well, so there’s lots to
identify with.
And so, key things, without giving
too much away?
Okay, so it’s basically the story of this young woman
called Teresa Matheson and like Hancock she’s been living in Melbourne. She
comes back to Wellington to live and what’s basically happened is that her
mother has died in mysterious circumstances out on the harbour in a boat. So
it’s all very mysterious when you first get into the book, and she’s got two
other sisters and they’re all just trying to find their way and find their
paths in life and Teresa is in the throes of a mental breakdown, so there’s a
lot of madness and hallucination in big empty Wellington villas. So it’s pretty
good. I’m a really big fan, I just loved it, I think it’s beautiful.
It’s good to hear a ringing
endorsement from you, especially someone that like you say has been a
Wellington resident, so you know they weren’t messing about!
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