(Black Swan, $39.99)
The resilience of Cantabrians has been at the forefront of New Zealanders’ minds of late.
While they struggle to come to terms with the tragic loss of life caused by the earthquake and the devastation wreaked upon their homes, workplaces and schools, one thing is for certain – they breed them tough down south.
And so with that in mind comes a timely history lesson in the form of La Rochelle’s Road – the debut novel from Kiwi writer Tanya ooir.
The story follows the Peterson family – well-heeled Victorians transplanted from their quaint, refined London surroundings into the rough and tumbleweed world of 1866 Banks Peninsula.
Daniel Peterson brings his wife, Letitia, and two teenage children, Robbie and Hester, to this Antipodean backwater with grand plans to make his fortune from the land.
However, the realities of living in not-so-splendid isolation on a scrub and mud-filled hill-country block are a far cry from the settler’s paradise he’d signed up for. The Petersons are at the mercy of inhospitable weather and the miserable pioneer environment, as well as their neighbours – a motley crew of escaped convicts, perverts and gun-toting vigilantes. In short, it’s hard yakka.
Destitute and out of place, with no return passage in sight, the family has little choice but to dig in.
Following in the fine tradition of historical novels, La Rochelle’s Road moves along at a cracking pace.
Romance, mystery and despair abound as the cast of characters’ lives – and their corsets – unravel around them.
But more than that, it showcases the strength of spirit New Zealand was built on – our forebears’ bloody-minded determination to master the elements and forge a better life, no matter the obstacle.
And it’s a timely reminder of how now, more than ever, we should be thankful for the roofs above our heads.
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