Hulme, Keri

(NZ, 1947– )

Hulme has Maori, Scottish, and English ancestry, and is known for her paintings and stories as well as for her Booker Prize-winning novel The Bone People (1984). This tells the story of Simon, a young autistic boy who is cared for by an isolated woman after he breaks into her home, a beautiful six-floored tower built near a beach. In Simon's wake follows his father, Joe. The heroine, Kerewin, is part-Maori, and Maori language and story are important in the novel, as are dreams and images from the characters’ subconscious. But don't be put off. Kerewin is also exceedingly down-to-earth and offers the reader amusingly dry verdicts on events as they unfold. This compelling book is a wonderful exploration of the demands love makes.

Marge Piercy, Margaret Atwood.

See AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND  JR