Forrest Family Mesmerises

“Emily Perkins’ new novel [The Forrests] opens with the making of a home movie and retains the feel of one, full of fragmentary impressions; momentary visual clarity mixed with the jumpy blurrings induced by a handheld camera,” The Independent’s Daneet Steffens writes in a review of the book. “The arc of the book follows the Forrests’ lives, primarily focusing on [seven-year-old] Dorothy. Most poignantly, and entertainingly, Perkins’ knowing eye and unerring hand showcase the way that familial dysfunctions are often writ large at family functions. The novel … is funny, painful and utterly mesmerising.” Perkins, 42, was born in Christchurch.