Reviews

Review

Review: One Day a Taniwha, by Tīhema Baker

'Broadening our idea of the modern Māori novel, Baker remains obsessed with the tension between light and dark...'

Reviewed by Mairātea Mohi

2 September 2026

Review

Review: Offshore Service and Other Stories, by Craig Cliff

'New Zealand literature has long had a fascination for glorifying the forlorn hero; or, as he’s more commonly known, the ‘man alone’...'

Reviewed by Siobhan Harvey

1 September 2026

Review

Capsule review: The Gum Trees of Kerikeri, by Lynn Jenner

'This book contemplates the unsettling remains and current state of Pakeha colonisation through the region, pausing often on the fast-growing gum trees...'

Reviewed by Erica Stretton

28 August 2026

Review

Capsule Review: Salt Quilt, by Airini Beautrais

A capsule review plus poem extract of experienced poet Airini Beautrais's new collection SALT QUILT.

Reviewed by Erica Stretton

27 August 2026

Review

Review: kluge, by pip adam

'The dichotomy adam's really interested in – and enraged by – is the dichotomy between humanity and inhumanity...'

Reviewed by Feby Idrus

25 August 2026

Review

Review: Marlon Foundling and the Circus of Lost Children

'Marlon’s unfamiliarity with friendship and family makes him an interesting protagonist. He is used to being overlooked...'

Reviewed by Imogen Gadd

20 August 2026

Review

Review: Degrees of Happy, by Philippa Werry

Imogen Gadd considers loss and grief in Philippa Werry's latest YA novel.

Reviewed by Imogen Gadd

19 August 2026

Review

Review: Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery, by Li Chen

Imogen Gadd explores Li Chen's second DETECTIVE BEANS graphic novel and finds it engaging and adventurous.

Reviewed by Imogen Gadd

15 August 2026

Review

Review: Go Hard or Go Home, by Kiri Allan

'She recounts her experiences with a directness that is as refreshing and enlightening as it is disturbingly honest...'

Reviewed by Richard Pamatatau

6 August 2026

Review

Review: Patron Saints of Roadkill and other stories

'Quiet seriousness sits at the heart of these stories, alongside a steadfast commitment to going deeper, getting under the skin...'

Reviewed by Nat Baker

4 August 2026

Review

Review: Sophie, Standing There, by Meg Mason

'Mason suggests that the most meaningful relationships we form with art may ultimately reveal as much about ourselves...'

Reviewed by Clare Travaglia

28 July 2026

Review

Review: Have this Heart, by Lawrence Patchett

'The stories are bound together by the common thread of male isolation...'

Reviewed by Anna Scaife

27 July 2026

Review

Review: AUP New Poets 12

'...thoughtful, tender, and playful meditations on place, self, and the haunting of both.'

Reviewed by Melanie Kwang

14 July 2026

Review

Review: Ringside, by Mike Munro

Libby Kirkby-McLeod hunts for juicy story in political memoir RINGSIDE.

Reviewed by Libby Kirkby-McLeod

14 July 2026

Review

Review: Stakes, by Noelle McCarthy

'This is a book about chasing desire, but also about renegotiating boundaries...'

Reviewed by Becs Tetley

8 July 2026

Review

Review: A Place to Stand, by Clare Ward

Reviewed by Himali McInnes

6 July 2026

Review

Review: The Nowhere Boy, by Anne Cleary

Claire Williamson analyses the questions at the heart of Allen & Unwin Fiction Prize Winner novel THE NOWHERE BOY.

Reviewed by Claire Williamson

3 July 2026

Review

Review: Dawn Raid: The Apology, by Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith

'Smith co‑wrote The Apology with her grandson Brooklyn Taylor – a collaboration that feels especially apt for a novel centred on intergenerational connection...'

Reviewed by Barbara Uini

1 July 2026

Review

Review: The Chief and the Empire, by Eugene Bingham

'The story of Te Pahi demonstrates how history can be distorted, exposing the misunderstandings, prejudice, and imperial interests that combined to obscure the truth...'

Reviewed by Angela Walker

29 June 2026

Review

Review: What We Remember, What We Forget

'The essays develop into a sustained series of pivotal moments in the author's life and in others'. Yes, you'll think of Proust, even if you haven't read him...'

Reviewed by David Hill

24 June 2026

Review

Review: Ngāti Kuia: He Pūtake, Hei Pakiaka Ora A History, by Madi Williams

'There are vast expanses of this country where the mana of the whenua has not been acknowledged by the conquerors. To learn the whakapapa we need to listen, but to whom? This book,...

Reviewed by David Veart

22 June 2026