by Keri Hulme
Keri Hulme returns to the rugged New Zealand landscapes that defined her earlier work. The stories in this collection center on characters who find themselves caught between solitude and the pull of human connection. A fisherman waits for signs that never come. A woman tends to family obligations that bind and chafe. Children discover the weight of adult secrets. Hulme draws her protagonists into moments where small decisions carry unexpected consequences. The coastal environment shapes every interaction, from storm-battered conversations to quiet revelations by still water. Each character must choose between the safety of distance and the risk of reaching toward others. The collection reveals how people survive the space between wanting connection and fearing its cost.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: small-decisions-big-consequences, solitude-vs-connection
Setting: New Zealand
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
Paperback · Pan MacMillan