Kataraina follows Kataraina Te Au from her 1981 birth to early January 2020, tracing her survival of domestic abuse and her role as the only surviving sibling of three. Her brother died in gang warfare and her sister is believed drowned. Kataraina awakens from a coma after a beating by partner Stuart Johnson, who is later shot dead by Beth, the daughter of Kataraina's childhood friend and lover, Tom Aiken. A stretch of water on the Johnson property inexplicably swells, exposing human remains and evoking a female water spirit. The narrative examines intergenerational trauma, violence, community ties in Kaikoura, and the mingling of the supernatural with harsh social realities.
Becky Manawatu described her debut, 2022's Aue, as a breath in. Its follow-up, Kataraina, she has called a breath out. It continues that first novel's themes of intergenerational trauma and violence within a largely Maori community based around the town of Kaikoura, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. Aue won multiple awards in New Zealand and became an international bestseller; while Kataraina fleshes out its backstory, it can also be read as a thrillingly immersive standalone.
Johnsons spent more than a bloody century draining it. Like, man, let it be. All around was humped and hollowed, except this bit in the middle that seemed to, well, seemed excuse this poetry shit again to slip into chaos. It's hard to describe, but just looking at the ground made you feel confused, like you were looking at something you shouldn't be looking at.
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