Luminous

by Alice Tawhai

This is a complex, bittersweet collection of short stories.

Tawhai's tales combine characters and occurrences that are at once cripplingly dark and yet also tinged with a quiet beauty and optimism and she deftly covers subjects such as identity, addiction, devotion and abandonment.

"The inimitable Tawhai does it again in her second collection. Usually told by young Maori women narrators who are by turns rapturous, distressed or emotionally numbed, Tawhai's flyaway tales are centred on the so-called dysfunctional underclass. But as she places us in direct, if strangely skewed, synaesthetic contact with two-timing bogans and twiggy emos and deracinated kaumatua and skunkweek-toking skanks, it is as if we are seeing a dark world lit up by flashes of wildfire. The effect is mesmerising, poignant and challenging." The Listener

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Bachyboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended to me by the students at Kelston Girls, this is my new find author, It is a collection of short stories, not for the faint hearted. Lots of sexual and drug taking references yet the stories work and you can't wait to read the next one. My favourite was Maori Art, in which a woman who traces her whakapapa through the art on her walls. Great writer.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of of this short story collection by Alice Tawhai. Even for something that you can sit down and read overnight, it makes you think for long after that. As I was reading, I noticed that a lot of these stories were tied together by rape/sexual abuse of young women and I started to wonder why Tawhai dedicated so many stories to this subject, or its inclusion. And then I remembered how lucky I am to have had the privilege of not experiencing these traumas when so many young women, especially women of color, do. That's the kind of storytelling that sticks with you--the kind that makes you think about your own condition.

My favorite story in the collection is "Scars," from which I will share what may be the most impactful line in the entire collection:
But I knew that men grow up, and they go away to war. And I couldn't wait.

[Michael B Tager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tawhai has the uncanny ability to end each story on such a powerful, perfect note that it elevates the material. Not ever story in the book worked, but that's the way of collections. And some of the content matter was rough (there's a lot of sexual assault in the book), but that's the choice of the author and what she wanted to right. That it's a bit much for me is besides the point (or maybe it is the point). Regardless, this was a fantastic read and I'm so glad I read it.

It's also good to read literature from other countries. Being from the States, I feel privileged to have encountered this.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of very short stories. They were mostly quite grim, and while they were well-written, I find a collection of similarly-themed and similarly-written short stories like this tends to feel pretty repetitive by the end. I still enjoyed them individually, but wish that the collection had a bit more variety throughout.
The best stories (and there were quite a few) were the ones that ended with a twist or gut-punch final few sentences. These stories really justify the very short length - leaving the reader wanting more of the story but having to piece it together.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tawhai expresses beauty and pain like no other I've read. We're lucky to have her.

[Peata Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some standouts like the story for which the collection is named, will read more of this author.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful sad beautiful.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short stories by Maori woman.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful fragments of lives, sometimes sad, violent funny - real

[Sarah Hyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre, familiar, sad and easily one of the most unique collections of New Zealand short stories I have ever read.