Abstract
This novel explores climate change and Pākehā identity in a near future Ōtepoti Dunedin. At the heart of the narrative are Moni and Hop, a grandmother and grandchild, who are stranded on a hillside when landslips rupture a city. As they find shelter and sustenance, talk through the night and make their way to safety, their family and friends in the city below are navigating their own adventures — a fallen dam, a supermarket cut off by floodwaters, a hospital in disaster mode. Family hurts and secrets are slowly uncovered and the work of healing begins in this story of memory, identity and belonging.
The book is set a little way into the future to explore how Aotearoa might respond to the challenges of climate change. The narrative also seeks to better understand Tangata Tiriti/Pākehā identity and how it can be shaped by honest, full intergenerational storytelling that weaves in memories and dreams for the future. While big socio-cultural shifts form the backdrop to this novel, they are refracted through the gentle relationship between Moni and Hop, and how they pass the night in a cave when the everyday stuff has literally fallen away. The writing is simple and musical, foregrounding characters and their relationships while playing close attention to the world around them.