About the Book:

Winner, Michael Gifkins Prize, New Zealand, 2022

Laura is tired of being asked where she’s really from. Her family has lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for four generations, and she’s ambivalent at best about her Chinese heritage. But when she’s asked to write about the Chinese New Zealander experience for a work project, Laura finds herself drawn to the diary of her great-great-grandfather Ken, a market gardener in the early years of the British colony.

With the help of her beloved grandpa, Laura begins to write a version of Ken’s story. She imagines his youth in Guangzhou and his journey to a new land—unaware that soon, spurred on by a family secret that comes to light, she will go on her own journey of self-discovery, sexuality and reckoning with the past.

A tender, nuanced novel about the bittersweet search for belonging, Backwaters marks the arrival of a brilliant new talent.

Published by Text Publishing

Released 26 September 2023

My Thoughts:

Rating: 4 stars

Why I chose it: It fit the brief for #AYearofNZLit

Themes: Identity, migration, Chinese heritage, family, adoption, internalised racism.

For fans of: Quiet character driven stories that gently unfold.

The good: There’s some really interesting history in this one about early Chinese settlement into New Zealand.

The not so good: The main character’s internalised racism was at times difficult to resonate with and subsequently appreciate, however, the author’s intent was clear, and I think this is just a case of lived experience in terms of relatability.

In brief: Laura has always been resistant to embracing her Chinese heritage and resents that she is not considered a New Zealander despite being born and raised in New Zealand. At the height of this identity crisis, she begins to work with her grandfather on translating her great-great-grandfather’s diary of his experiences as an early Chinese settler in New Zealand. A series of family crisis results in Laura embarking on a trip to Hong Kong in a bid to find out who she really is. This one is one of those novels that is about the character journey more than the end result.

Thanks for the review copy goes to: Text Publishing.