Carol Markwell. Photo / Supplied
Three books this week. Firstly Auē (Mākaro Press). Becky Manawatu's haunting book with its compelling New Zealand story and unforgettable characters stays with me still. It's a stunning first novel, raw and moving.
I read it in great gulps, then slowed down to read it again. Events in Auē may
be stark and searingly described, but the book has aroha woven through it and the children, Ārama and Beth, are brave and endearing. I willed them to survive.
After the power and sadness of Auē, I needed another kind of writing, and turned to Bill Manhire's book of poems, Some Things to Place in a Coffin (VUP).
I've enjoyed reading Bill's clever, funny, often cryptic, authentic poetry since I first encountered it in Zoetrope many years ago. His words play in the mind and there's never a single one wasted. Some of the poems are only a couple of lines.
"My World War I Poem":
Inside each trench, the sound of prayer.
Inside each prayer, the sound of digging.
