Kind

by Stephanie Johnson

High on the Southern Alps of New Zealand lies a fallen man, like ‘a black exclamation mark on a white page, Kiwi-noir face down in the snow’. Is he still alive?

This funny, fearless, thought-provoking novel trains its sights on us.

Kerry-Anne is kind, unlike her foster sister Joleen, who is a different kind of person altogether. Being locked down for Joleen will mean behind bars.

For Kerry-Anne’s ex-husband, the National MP Lyall Hull, lockdown will also take on a new meaning when he goes on a cycle trip instead of staying at home.

From lockdown in the Bay of Islands, Kerry-Anne tries to work out what both are up to. Will anyone come up smelling of roses?

‘Johnson has always had an eye for topicality’ — Steve Braunias

Genres: Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. 5^

Stephanie Johnson is the author of several collections of poetry and of short stories, some plays and adaptations, and many fine novels. The New Zealand Listener commented that ‘Stephanie Johnson is a writer of talent and distinction. Over the course of an award-winning career — during which she has written plays, poetry, short stories and novels — she has become a significant presence in the New Zealand literary landscape, a presence cemented and enhanced by her roles as critic and creative writing teacher.' the Shag Incident won the Montana Deutz Medal for Fiction in 2003, and Belief was shortlisted for the same award. Stephanie has also won the Bruce Mason Playwrights Award and Katherine Mansfield Fellowship, and was the 2001 Literary Fellow at the University of Auckland. Many of her novels have been published in Australia, America and the United Kingdom. She co-founded the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival with Peter Wells in 1999.

Reviews

[Jo Bragg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started really slow for me and I found it difficult to follow for the first third … but I was glad I persevered because by half way through I didn’t want to put the book down and was always hungry to know what happened next

[Nikky Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. I’ve never read a book based in NZ so that was interesting and informative in a good way. I enjoyed a few environmental entries. It’s nice to think NZ or the aurthor have similar thoughts as I do about climate change and I’m not the only one. Every chapter started with the challenge of figuring out which character this chapter was about. The fact each chapter was in a different year, either 2020, 2021, should have been a hint but I only figured it out at the end…. I think the later was always written from prison. But the dates didn’t really mean anything to me when I was reading it. I guess I could tell what was happening without looking at the date since I new some entries were earlier and later. It felt very withholding as if trying too hard to be mysterious but it kept me reading, trying to figure out what was going on. I figured it out and it was close to the end and then it all kind of concluded without a conclusion. People just went on with their life’s. It was a pretty crazy story. People trafficking, actually “crazy” doomsday capturers, a cop doing drugs, crazy woman, normal woman. Writing a story about vivid lockdown would sound boring sitting at home, not allowed out but not this one.

[Susan Wilson]

Really enjoyed it. Great story that twisted and turned and made me laugh and cringe at our New Zealandness as well.

I especially liked that the unlikely hero (or trying to be hero a bit) got a good outcome, and was a good vehicle to round off another storyline, and that the villains got their comeuppance. I thought Lyall’s “rescuers” and their ability to camouflage took it a bit far, though I got some hilarious mental images, especially of the biting.

Anywhere but in Aotearoa, I would say there was just two many coincidences connecting characters but we do live in a country with more like two degrees of separation so it worked for me.

[Marcus Hobson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but this just didn't work for me.
I really couldn't give a damn about any of the characters, and even Joleen failed to hold my attention for all her attempts to be the 'bad girl'.
The cover says it is 'funny' but I didn't crack a smile. Shame, because I have enjoyed other books by Stephanie Johnson.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Stephanie Johnson and have read most of her books and poems, however this book was a bit too far fetched in its plot and characters for me as I prefer my fiction to be believable. It was depicted as being funny of which I did not see humour in this book, apart from the fact some of the situations were so left field as to be laughable.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in New Zealand during the Covid lockdown, I enjoyed this - the writing was great and so was the depiction of this 'family' and their sometimes strained relationships with each other, but I found the jumping back and forth between timelines and the characters' POVs a little distracting.

[Anne Herbison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book examines many varieties of 'kind' through a large cast of characters and interlinked events during Covid lockdowns. Many flashbacks elucidate the characters' motivation and circumstances. Wickedly satirical at times, but not at the expense of the characterisation on the whole.

[Helen Cummings · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel I’ve been on some crazy ride with these characters and this story. Some parts funny and relatable satire but a lot of the story hard to follow and a bit over the top!

[Cathy Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, satirical. A little disjointed at times but good holiday read

[Helen Varley · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written and entertaining, but not more than that. for all the multitudes of characters and plot-lines, it was disappointing that there was no twist or unexpected reveal at the end.

[Sharon N · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 Fun and uncomplicated but capturing Covid times in NZ well.

[Karen Kozuls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in NZ - mostly Russell in the beautiful Bay of Islands, during the first Covid lockdown.. An enjoyable slow build crime novel told from several characters' POV.