Patricia Grace's rich and dramatic novel, threaded with humour, presents a powerful picture of the Maori people in modern times
Patricia Grace
The New Zealand author Patricia Grace, a writer of novels, short stories and children’s books, was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2001 for her fifth novel Dogside Story
Grace, who is half Maori and half Irish, is a key figure in Maori literature: her Waiariki of 1975, was the first collection of short stories published by a Maori woman writer and her subsequent work, for both adults and children, has often centred on New Zealand’s indigenous people and history. Dogside Story is not a comfortable book, dealing as it does with the theme of incest between a brother and sister, the child that is born as a result, and conflict in the community, but is notable for its lyrical tone and its unsentimental examination of Maori culture.