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.


Tags: Emily Perkins  Independent (The)  The Forrests  

Amy Brown’s New Novel Inspired by Women and Art

Amy Brown’s New Novel Inspired by Women and Art

Like many writers before her, New Zealand-born Amy Brown takes inspiration from the Australian feminist icon Stella Maria Miles Franklin in her captivating debut novel My Brilliant Sister – but instead…