by Keri Hulme
First published 2007
In this collection of stories and poems, Keri Hulme creates scenes where characters find meaning in precise moments. A woman savors an elaborate meal of scallops arranged in spider lambis shells, each element carefully prepared. Wine reduced to its essence coats the raw shellfish. Rough salt mingles with chopped seaweed. The shell's color mirrors the wine and kelp. She notices how the green pepper slices turn nearly transparent, how they weave through shreds of young daikon and steamed ti fragments. The textures contrast: hot, crisp, oily. She drinks Black Dragon tea, its smoky coolness filling her mouth. She knows people have died bringing this tea to these islands. She thinks many have died for lesser reasons. Through such moments of attention, Hulme's characters discover what matters most to them.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, poetry, food-writing
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: slice-of-life
Setting: Islands
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
239 pages · Paperback · HUIA PUBLISHERS