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The Mires
Water will come and you think it will be soft. You think it will be smooth and find its way around your your houses and cars and furniture, your gardens and windows and hope. But water can be the foot of an elephant, the horns of a moose, a herd of buffalo running from a lion, water can be the kauri falling in the forest, a two-tonne truck, a whole stadium filled with 50,000 people, screaming … Water is life, and water can be death.
Three women give birth in different countries and different decades. In the near future, they become neighbours in a coastal town in Aotearoa New Zealand. Single parent Keri has her hands full with four-year-old tearaway Walty and teen Wairere, a strange and gifted child, who always picks up on things that aren't hers to worry about. They live next door to Janet, a white woman with an opinion about everything, and new arrival Sera, whose family are refugees from ecological devastation in Europe.
When Janet’s son Conor arrives home without warning, sporting a fresh buzzcut and a new tattoo, the quiet tension between the neighbours grows, but no one suspects just how extreme Conor has become. No one except Wairere, who can feel the danger in their midst, and the swamp beneath their street, watching and waiting.
The Mires is a tender and fierce novel that asks what we do when faced with things we don’t understand. Is our impulse to destroy or connect?
PRAISE FOR THE MIRES
‘The Mires is about the monsters we’ve created and the power we have to stop them. A truly magnificent novel.’ – Shankari Chandran, author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
‘An immersive, unnerving novel about the hatred that can rise up out of the locked, curtained rooms in our neighbourhoods, and the comfort that can be found in another’s home. A story about people and the land they share. The memories stored in the water and peat. I read this book with equal measures of worry and hope.’ – Becky Manawatu, author of Auē
‘As both a writer and a refugee, this book resonates with my experiences, skilfully addressing the link between refugee lives, colonialism and climate change.’ – Behrouz Boochani, author of No Friend but the Mountains
‘The Mires is an enchanting poignant, earnest and lyrical, this story will settle in your bones.’ – Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of The Hate Race
‘The Mires is a work of art. The impacts of colonisation, movement, and climate change cut to the bone in glittering prose and through characters kept close as neighbours. In The Mires, the environment speaks, culture transcends boundaries and the myriad ideas of home are bitterly defended. Only Tina Makereti could hold a reader in such tense tenderness.’ – Laura Jean McKay, author of The Animals in That Country
Three women give birth in different countries and different decades. In the near future, they become neighbours in a coastal town in Aotearoa New Zealand. Single parent Keri has her hands full with four-year-old tearaway Walty and teen Wairere, a strange and gifted child, who always picks up on things that aren't hers to worry about. They live next door to Janet, a white woman with an opinion about everything, and new arrival Sera, whose family are refugees from ecological devastation in Europe.
When Janet’s son Conor arrives home without warning, sporting a fresh buzzcut and a new tattoo, the quiet tension between the neighbours grows, but no one suspects just how extreme Conor has become. No one except Wairere, who can feel the danger in their midst, and the swamp beneath their street, watching and waiting.
The Mires is a tender and fierce novel that asks what we do when faced with things we don’t understand. Is our impulse to destroy or connect?
PRAISE FOR THE MIRES
‘The Mires is about the monsters we’ve created and the power we have to stop them. A truly magnificent novel.’ – Shankari Chandran, author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
‘An immersive, unnerving novel about the hatred that can rise up out of the locked, curtained rooms in our neighbourhoods, and the comfort that can be found in another’s home. A story about people and the land they share. The memories stored in the water and peat. I read this book with equal measures of worry and hope.’ – Becky Manawatu, author of Auē
‘As both a writer and a refugee, this book resonates with my experiences, skilfully addressing the link between refugee lives, colonialism and climate change.’ – Behrouz Boochani, author of No Friend but the Mountains
‘The Mires is an enchanting poignant, earnest and lyrical, this story will settle in your bones.’ – Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of The Hate Race
‘The Mires is a work of art. The impacts of colonisation, movement, and climate change cut to the bone in glittering prose and through characters kept close as neighbours. In The Mires, the environment speaks, culture transcends boundaries and the myriad ideas of home are bitterly defended. Only Tina Makereti could hold a reader in such tense tenderness.’ – Laura Jean McKay, author of The Animals in That Country
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2024
60 people are currently reading
7796 people want to read
About the author
Tina Makereti
11 books92 followersWhere the Rēkohu Bone Sings is Tina Makereti’s first novel. Her short story collection, Once Upon a Time in Aotearoa (Huia Publishers 2010), won the Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards Fiction Prize 2011. In 2009 she was the recipient of the Royal Society of New Zealand Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing (non-fiction), and in the same year received the Pikihuia Award for Best Short Story written in English. In October 2012, Makereti was Writer in Residence at the Weltkulturen Museum in Frankfurt, and in 2014 she is the Creative New Zealand Randell Cottage Writer in Residence. Makereti has a PhD Creative Writing from Victoria University, and teaches creative writing and English at Massey and Victoria Universities. She is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Pākehā and, in all probability, Moriori descent. She now lives on the Kāpiti Coast with her partner, two daughters and unruly dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
July 23, 2025
Sigo con retraso en las lecturas de los cofres de La Librería Ambulante porque Las ciénagas fue cofre en mayo y la he terminado ahora. No se lo apunto en el debe a la novela porque la empecé tarde. De hecho, se lee muy fácil.
Hace muchos años, de viaje de novios, fuimos a Oceanía y Nueva Zelanda nos encantó. Dicen que leer es como viajar. Leyendo Las ciénagas he vuelto a Nueva Zelanda. A una Nueva Zelanda distópica donde existen refugiados a causa de la crisis medioambiental. A una Nueva Zelanda donde ha merecido la pena conocer a Keri, a Janet y a Sera. A una historia donde además del cambio climático, también se tocan otros temas como el racismo o la ultraderecha.
En 2009 hicimos 20.000 kilómetros y más de 30 horas de viaje para llegar a Nueva Zelanda.
Ahora he vuelto sin moverme de casa. La magia de los libros. Este en concreto posee un toque mágico que lo hace especial.
Hace muchos años, de viaje de novios, fuimos a Oceanía y Nueva Zelanda nos encantó. Dicen que leer es como viajar. Leyendo Las ciénagas he vuelto a Nueva Zelanda. A una Nueva Zelanda distópica donde existen refugiados a causa de la crisis medioambiental. A una Nueva Zelanda donde ha merecido la pena conocer a Keri, a Janet y a Sera. A una historia donde además del cambio climático, también se tocan otros temas como el racismo o la ultraderecha.
En 2009 hicimos 20.000 kilómetros y más de 30 horas de viaje para llegar a Nueva Zelanda.
Ahora he vuelto sin moverme de casa. La magia de los libros. Este en concreto posee un toque mágico que lo hace especial.
February 20, 2025
Incredible, atmospheric, full of multifaceted women, powerful without being clichéd, gorgeously written, narrated by my dream narrator, made me cry on the bus.
June 1, 2025
Me ha resultado una lectura fantástica y ágil con una voz fresca y original.
Arraigada a la cultura maorí en Nueva Zelanda pero con mimbres universales, pone de relieve temas actuales como la integración en países extranjeros de refugiados climáticos, la facilidad de manipulación por grupos extremistas, y la importancia de los valores para unir lazos sociales, de una forma muy coral y muy lograda la perspectiva de cada personaje, con el agua como eje de la novela y elemento mágico que todo lo une, el cuidado al medio ambiente y la sororidad como motor social.
Arraigada a la cultura maorí en Nueva Zelanda pero con mimbres universales, pone de relieve temas actuales como la integración en países extranjeros de refugiados climáticos, la facilidad de manipulación por grupos extremistas, y la importancia de los valores para unir lazos sociales, de una forma muy coral y muy lograda la perspectiva de cada personaje, con el agua como eje de la novela y elemento mágico que todo lo une, el cuidado al medio ambiente y la sororidad como motor social.
July 16, 2024
With environmental devastation, war, hostility towards refugees and the rise of white supremacism screaming at us in our newsfeeds, many of us seek the balm of connection to Country and Indigenous wisdom to find respite from the catastrophic problems created by capitalism and colonialism. Tina Makereti explores many of these topics and provides that balm with her quiet, beautiful book The Mires.
The Mires is set on a swamp in Kapiti, on the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. A small neighbourhood is built on top of the swamp and its inhabitants coexist uneasily. Keri is a warm Māori woman recovering from domestic violence, who struggles to get food on the plates of her lively four-year-old Walty and her mysterious teenage daughter Wairere, who hears the voices of her ancestors and has the gift of sight.
Next door live Sera, Adam and their little one Aliana. They are refugees from an ecological disaster in Europe. On the other side is Janet, a white New Zealander – also a survivor of domestic violence, with fixed ideas about the way people should be. She lives with her son Conor, a lost and recently radicalised young man who is exhibiting strange, secretive behaviour.
The novel begins with a quiet humble dignity and builds to a mythic and catastrophic finale. It is a small book about women, family, the suburbs, community and outsiders, but also a large book about environmental disaster, racism and terrorism.
Keri and Sera begin a sweet, tentative friendship, forged by their mutual empathy, understanding of suffering and the need to connect. Their children provide a bridge for their two worlds to come together, and from their connection a sense of community begins to grow.
By contrast, Conor operates in isolation next door, spending his days online, connecting with extremist right-wing groups and terrorising woman and migrants with trolling and hate speech. His mother and teenage Wairere observe his hostility and secretive behaviour with a growing unease and sense of foreboding.
The Mires is Indigenous literature written with a deep, spiritual connection to Country and ancestors. Informed by the recent Christchurch massacres and the alarming rise of white extremism around the world, it is a courageous book that shines a light on the darkest human behaviour and shows how the best of humanity can emerge from devastation, and triumph over hatred and violence.
This is a very internal book. Its beautifully drawn characters are all quiet people, swamped by trauma and trying to keep their heads above water. Within this interiority we sense that each one of them longs for understanding and connection – and the overarching message of the book is that when we seek community, we grow stronger. This is a book for and about the little people who struggle. It is a beautiful respite from the arrogance and ego of Western capitalism, the patriarchy and modern politics. It is a book that cares and a book that matters.
The Mires, Tina Makereti
Publisher: Ultimo Press
ISBN: 9781761153693
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320pp
Price: $34.99
Publication date: July 2024
Review for Artshub.
May 16, 2025
Un libro fantástico, sobretodo por su dinamismo y su facilidad de lectura. Tiene una prosa simple, sin florituras, pero que transmite todo lo que quiere transmitir, sin dejarse nada. Los personajes, tanto principales como secundarios, están muy bien definidos y tiene un papel claro. La historia no pierde mucho el tiempo y se desarrolla a un ritmo estupendo sin dejar nada al aire. Quizá el final me ha parecido un poco apresurado y caótico, pero igualmente me ha gustado. La crítica del libro es clara, un toque de atención a la extrema derecha y todo lo que la acompaña; machismo, homofobia, racismo, negacionismo climático, etc. Tina Makereti se enfrenta a esta realidad seriamente, pero también con un punto de fantasía que le da al libro un carácter especial. Una muy buena lectura y muy recomendable.
Las ediciones de Hoja de Lata siempre son una maravilla, desde sus cubiertas, al tacto de sus hojas e incluso el olor del libro. Como siempre, es muy difícil evitar todos los errores, pero apenas se notan. Siempre es un placer leer libros así.
Las ediciones de Hoja de Lata siempre son una maravilla, desde sus cubiertas, al tacto de sus hojas e incluso el olor del libro. Como siempre, es muy difícil evitar todos los errores, pero apenas se notan. Siempre es un placer leer libros así.
July 26, 2024
I do online anti racism work and this brilliant book by Tina Makereti was like playing Facebook bingo with all the racist tropes some Pākehā repeat without ever checking their veracity. The amount of times I have seen people online say Māori weren't the first people here, talk about blood percentages and other insane ideas.
This novel weaves spirituality, the environment, white supremacy, climate change and the realities of trying to survive on a benefit in NZ in a page turning gripping way. It confirms Tina Makareti was one of my favourite authors ever.
This novel weaves spirituality, the environment, white supremacy, climate change and the realities of trying to survive on a benefit in NZ in a page turning gripping way. It confirms Tina Makareti was one of my favourite authors ever.
August 21, 2024
Very glad I read this book. Fans of swamps and Papatūānuku should read it too.
September 10, 2025
No me ha terminado de convencer la historia
September 12, 2025
Excellent and timely! “The gift of fiction is interiority” Makereti writes in the author’s note. So true of this novel, and not just in relation to her human characters! The role of swamp mother was beautiful & perfect — I won’t say more in the hopes that you all read this.
September 3, 2025
It's interesting how our reading tastes change when we get older. In my 20s I found books focusing on women's experiences and family sagas boring, but in my 40s I am drawn to these narratives. Science fiction of this sort can also be difficult to read because a lot of it is happening right now, nothing futuristic about it, and reality is depressing enough. But I found this book beautiful and impactful.
Set in a near-future New Zealand, with vibes of The Rabbit Hutch and The Dream Hotel, this is near-future climate fiction told from the point of view of the swamp that has seen it all through the eons. I loved the perspective of an indigenous New Zealand author writing about climate issues. This is a voice I don't see represented enough. Initially I was also drawn to that gorgeous cover.
The book follows the lives of three neighbor women, whose lives are upset by the arrivals of climate refugee Sera and her young family, and a bigoted white woman's son, Conor, an incel who has been radicalized by white supremacists. Keri, the other neighbor woman, is a single mother raising a toddler and an eccentric teenage daughter with an ability of radical empathy. I was a bit confused about how Wai's magic actually worked, but it allowed her to step inside the consciousness of other beings and feel what they were feeling. The subtle magical realism element brought a special dimension to the narrative.
I liked how the book described very well the desperation and stripping of dignity that being on welfare can involve, and the intersection of that with the refugee experience. Sera's experience of extreme heatwaves and flooding is coming and sometimes even here. It was sobering to think of a planet where soon there will be nowhere left to run to. The white characters could at times seem flat and stereotypical, but I appreciated Janet's transformation to being more self aware.
I found it sobering and also beautiful how most of the book was dealing with very normal, everyday struggles of getting along with neighbors, walking to the beach and paying bills when the world was falling apart. I can relate to the jarring contrast while crises are happening. At times it got a little tedious as it went into the weeds on family history and daily family life, but I appreciated the character driven arc of this story.
I also loved the book being told from the point of view of Swamp Mother. I thought that was a clever angle and creative perspective.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Set in a near-future New Zealand, with vibes of The Rabbit Hutch and The Dream Hotel, this is near-future climate fiction told from the point of view of the swamp that has seen it all through the eons. I loved the perspective of an indigenous New Zealand author writing about climate issues. This is a voice I don't see represented enough. Initially I was also drawn to that gorgeous cover.
The book follows the lives of three neighbor women, whose lives are upset by the arrivals of climate refugee Sera and her young family, and a bigoted white woman's son, Conor, an incel who has been radicalized by white supremacists. Keri, the other neighbor woman, is a single mother raising a toddler and an eccentric teenage daughter with an ability of radical empathy. I was a bit confused about how Wai's magic actually worked, but it allowed her to step inside the consciousness of other beings and feel what they were feeling. The subtle magical realism element brought a special dimension to the narrative.
I liked how the book described very well the desperation and stripping of dignity that being on welfare can involve, and the intersection of that with the refugee experience. Sera's experience of extreme heatwaves and flooding is coming and sometimes even here. It was sobering to think of a planet where soon there will be nowhere left to run to. The white characters could at times seem flat and stereotypical, but I appreciated Janet's transformation to being more self aware.
I found it sobering and also beautiful how most of the book was dealing with very normal, everyday struggles of getting along with neighbors, walking to the beach and paying bills when the world was falling apart. I can relate to the jarring contrast while crises are happening. At times it got a little tedious as it went into the weeds on family history and daily family life, but I appreciated the character driven arc of this story.
I also loved the book being told from the point of view of Swamp Mother. I thought that was a clever angle and creative perspective.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 2, 2025
Una historia preciosa protagonizada por mujeres fuertes y valientes donde la "Madre Pantano" también tiene una voz y un papel importante. A pesar de tratar temas duros como el racismo, la ultraderecha, el exilio o el cambio climático, lanza un mensaje lleno de esperanza. Amor y empatía a raudales.
"La gente es buena por naturaleza" dice en cierto momento Janet, una de las mujeres protagonistas de Las ciénagas. Ojalá que sí.
Un libro, en cierta manera, mágico ✨
"La gente es buena por naturaleza" dice en cierto momento Janet, una de las mujeres protagonistas de Las ciénagas. Ojalá que sí.
Un libro, en cierta manera, mágico ✨
December 18, 2025
4+ read like a short story, immersive descriptions of the characters and the environment. Refreshing that it was set in Aotearoa New Zealand. Explored relevant themes well, would recommend.
March 30, 2025
Beautiful, powerful and poetic.
July 27, 2025
Nota: 4.5 sobre 5
Premisa:
Tres mujeres de procedencias muy diversas terminan conviviendo en un barrio de Nueva Zelanda en un futuro no muy lejano. El cambio climático está generando estragos y los movimientos políticos extremistas ponen un desafío a la población. Pero el pantano espera paciente, cauteloso y poderoso, no ha jugado su última baza.
Opinión:
Hay portadas que es imposible que pasen desapercibidas, que te seducen a primer golpe de vista. Intento ser cautelosa con estos instintos porque la belleza en la cubierta no siempre va de la mano de un contenido brillante. Pero a veces se conjugan ambos aspectos que, aunque desiguales en importancia, complementan el recorrido que tiene el libro en tu vida.
Esta novela no solo habla de cómo se articulan las relaciones interpersonales en un barrio pequeño y diverso, aunque sean el eje que vertebra la trama y punto de interés principal de la narración. Habla de la naturaleza en su máxima esencia, focalizada en la flora y fauna neozelandesa. De las costumbres maoríes y su arraigo cultural. De la decadencia a la que llegamos como especie humana, ajena al deterioro del territorio que nos sustenta. También de la intolerancia y el odio promovido por la manipulación y el extremismo.
Tres mujeres sustentan el peso de una trama que va cogiendo ritmo poco a poco. Que se toma el tiempo suficiente para que comprendas los porqués y la conducta de personalidades tan diferentes que en realidad buscan lo mismo, vínculo y pertenencia, estabilidad y conexión. Porque los seres humanos, aunque tengamos pasados diametralmente opuestos, latimos y vibramos por cosas similares.
Y lo que a priori parece una novela costumbrista, sensorial y cargada de verdad se convierte en un relato colmado de crítica política, de denuncia a prejuicios xenófobos y racistas, todo ello aderezado con una conexión mágica personalizada en una adolescente enigmática vinculada con el pantano. Adquiere un ritmo vertiginoso del que no puedes escapar, añadiendo intriga y frenetismo a una combinación diversa pero ganadora. Ha sido envolvente y magnética, toda una trampa de la que no quieres escapar.
Un relato dinámico y esperanzador que genera aprendizaje y reflexión, dos motores de cambio que necesitamos alimentar y difundir. Además, si el vehículo genera tanto entusiasmo y entretenimiento como esta novela, el poso es más duradero y significativo.
Premisa:
Tres mujeres de procedencias muy diversas terminan conviviendo en un barrio de Nueva Zelanda en un futuro no muy lejano. El cambio climático está generando estragos y los movimientos políticos extremistas ponen un desafío a la población. Pero el pantano espera paciente, cauteloso y poderoso, no ha jugado su última baza.
Opinión:
Hay portadas que es imposible que pasen desapercibidas, que te seducen a primer golpe de vista. Intento ser cautelosa con estos instintos porque la belleza en la cubierta no siempre va de la mano de un contenido brillante. Pero a veces se conjugan ambos aspectos que, aunque desiguales en importancia, complementan el recorrido que tiene el libro en tu vida.
Esta novela no solo habla de cómo se articulan las relaciones interpersonales en un barrio pequeño y diverso, aunque sean el eje que vertebra la trama y punto de interés principal de la narración. Habla de la naturaleza en su máxima esencia, focalizada en la flora y fauna neozelandesa. De las costumbres maoríes y su arraigo cultural. De la decadencia a la que llegamos como especie humana, ajena al deterioro del territorio que nos sustenta. También de la intolerancia y el odio promovido por la manipulación y el extremismo.
Tres mujeres sustentan el peso de una trama que va cogiendo ritmo poco a poco. Que se toma el tiempo suficiente para que comprendas los porqués y la conducta de personalidades tan diferentes que en realidad buscan lo mismo, vínculo y pertenencia, estabilidad y conexión. Porque los seres humanos, aunque tengamos pasados diametralmente opuestos, latimos y vibramos por cosas similares.
Y lo que a priori parece una novela costumbrista, sensorial y cargada de verdad se convierte en un relato colmado de crítica política, de denuncia a prejuicios xenófobos y racistas, todo ello aderezado con una conexión mágica personalizada en una adolescente enigmática vinculada con el pantano. Adquiere un ritmo vertiginoso del que no puedes escapar, añadiendo intriga y frenetismo a una combinación diversa pero ganadora. Ha sido envolvente y magnética, toda una trampa de la que no quieres escapar.
Un relato dinámico y esperanzador que genera aprendizaje y reflexión, dos motores de cambio que necesitamos alimentar y difundir. Además, si el vehículo genera tanto entusiasmo y entretenimiento como esta novela, el poso es más duradero y significativo.
July 25, 2024
"A swamp knows more than most people about most things. It's our nature, for within the damp and nebulous borders of swamp, water carries messages, stories, and even, gossip. Swamp is connected to all waterways, of course."
Three women's lives intersect and nothing will be the same again. In the near future, these women become neighbors in a coastal town in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Single parent Keri juggles her spirited four-year-old, Walty, and gifted teen, Wairere, who has an other-wordly sense it seems. They live next to opinionated Janet and newcomer Sera, a refugee from Europe’s ecological devastation.
When Janet’s son Conor returns unannounced with a buzzcut and a strange tattoo, the tension among the neighbours escalates. Only Wairere feels the lurking danger and the swamp beneath their street, waiting. "The Mires" is a tender, fierce novel exploring our reactions to the unknown: destruction or connection?
Speculative fiction written by a New Zealand author - yes PLEASE!!! There is so much depth to the themes in this novel - the impacts of colonisation, the beauty of Maori spiritualism, the destruction of climate change, the complexity of refugeeism, and the horrors that lurk behind the next door neighbours curtains behind glowing screens. They are all so beautifully, painfully, cleverly woven together to create an overall heartbreaking narrative, which I promise provides some hope. Keri, Sera, and Wairere, are the obvious favourites. Conor absolutely gives me the heebies, and it was easy to see how disenchanted people (white men) get sucked into dangerous narratives by eloquent speakers. This book is so uniquely Aotearoa, but will no doubt speak to a wider, global audience. Highly recommend.
Three women's lives intersect and nothing will be the same again. In the near future, these women become neighbors in a coastal town in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Single parent Keri juggles her spirited four-year-old, Walty, and gifted teen, Wairere, who has an other-wordly sense it seems. They live next to opinionated Janet and newcomer Sera, a refugee from Europe’s ecological devastation.
When Janet’s son Conor returns unannounced with a buzzcut and a strange tattoo, the tension among the neighbours escalates. Only Wairere feels the lurking danger and the swamp beneath their street, waiting. "The Mires" is a tender, fierce novel exploring our reactions to the unknown: destruction or connection?
Speculative fiction written by a New Zealand author - yes PLEASE!!! There is so much depth to the themes in this novel - the impacts of colonisation, the beauty of Maori spiritualism, the destruction of climate change, the complexity of refugeeism, and the horrors that lurk behind the next door neighbours curtains behind glowing screens. They are all so beautifully, painfully, cleverly woven together to create an overall heartbreaking narrative, which I promise provides some hope. Keri, Sera, and Wairere, are the obvious favourites. Conor absolutely gives me the heebies, and it was easy to see how disenchanted people (white men) get sucked into dangerous narratives by eloquent speakers. This book is so uniquely Aotearoa, but will no doubt speak to a wider, global audience. Highly recommend.
September 24, 2024
I loved this book. I loved Makereti’s writing. I loved most of her characters and those I didn’t love I recognised. I loved the Wetlands setting, based on the world not far north of where I live. Keri lives in a social housing enclave with her sensitive teenage daughter, Wairere and boisterous son, Walty. Next door is set in her ways elderly Janet who belatedly escaped an abusive marriage, and a refugee family of 3, Sera, Adam and baby Ali, who have escaped unimaginable horrors. Janet’s son returns home and the balance is destroyed. He is disaffected and susceptible to online pressure. And in the background is Mother Swamp, who, Wai believes, has the answers. A beautiful story which builds to a climax. Janet sums up the hope behind the book when she says, Most people are good. I want a sequel.
June 9, 2025
An excellent study in characterisation, with heights of delicious prose that I often found myself rolling around my mouth like a sour feijoa lolly. It gripped me throughout, evident in how fast I burned through its 300 or so pages. The water motif was fantastic, and I think the part where she describes water as both life and death was especially powerful (that whole passage).
It picked up very quickly that it was a book that really responded to 2019 in particular, even though it was published in 2024 and set in what I can gather must be around 2034. The concerns of the book, or rather the way the concerns were dealt with, felt very much rooted in pre-COVID discourse. A note at the end of the book about the Christchurch massacre confirmed my hypotheses, and whilst Makereti noted she began conceiving the book before that unspeakably horrific terrorist attack, the way both climate change and extremism were explored felt very rooted in the context of that year (school strike for climate, the Christchurch massacre, the end of Trump 1.0). I should make very clear there is nothing wrong with that - in fact it is tragic that climate change discourse has simply taken second fiddle since COVID began, and has never really reached the salience it did in that year. Additionally, the concerning developments in the USA since the book was published have completely changed the game on white supremacy, or at least revealed very starkly that the situation had progressed to an extent perhaps not understood fully in 2019. Ultimately this is not a criticism of the book, just an interesting observation. These are very important discussions that need to be had, and the book does a fairly good job at exploring them (more so with climate change, however).
A final observation: from what I can gather, Sera and Adam seem to come from Israel. I wonder if that was previously explicitly mentioned but removed, or always left ambiguous? I could be completely wrong, and I don’t have much to say about that part of the book (their specific origins aren’t important at all, in fact the ambiguity is more powerful as it universalises their plight and confronts is with a reality that I think most people still can’t grasp). Just an interesting little note.
Finally Thankyou Ariana for giving me the book while we were cleaning up the Honi office, I’m glad I finally got to read it!
It picked up very quickly that it was a book that really responded to 2019 in particular, even though it was published in 2024 and set in what I can gather must be around 2034. The concerns of the book, or rather the way the concerns were dealt with, felt very much rooted in pre-COVID discourse. A note at the end of the book about the Christchurch massacre confirmed my hypotheses, and whilst Makereti noted she began conceiving the book before that unspeakably horrific terrorist attack, the way both climate change and extremism were explored felt very rooted in the context of that year (school strike for climate, the Christchurch massacre, the end of Trump 1.0). I should make very clear there is nothing wrong with that - in fact it is tragic that climate change discourse has simply taken second fiddle since COVID began, and has never really reached the salience it did in that year. Additionally, the concerning developments in the USA since the book was published have completely changed the game on white supremacy, or at least revealed very starkly that the situation had progressed to an extent perhaps not understood fully in 2019. Ultimately this is not a criticism of the book, just an interesting observation. These are very important discussions that need to be had, and the book does a fairly good job at exploring them (more so with climate change, however).
A final observation: from what I can gather, Sera and Adam seem to come from Israel. I wonder if that was previously explicitly mentioned but removed, or always left ambiguous? I could be completely wrong, and I don’t have much to say about that part of the book (their specific origins aren’t important at all, in fact the ambiguity is more powerful as it universalises their plight and confronts is with a reality that I think most people still can’t grasp). Just an interesting little note.
Finally Thankyou Ariana for giving me the book while we were cleaning up the Honi office, I’m glad I finally got to read it!
December 18, 2025
Ngl at times this was an uncomfortable read and with the timing of this book and recent events, it made it feel very relevant and hit quite close to home. However, I loved the insights to all the characters and the complex relationships they all shared. This book covered a lot of bases from environmental disaster, violent extremism, indigenous perspectives to the challenges faced by refugees. I enjoyed the connection of all the themes and the different perspectives throughout!
December 14, 2024
Based in New Zealand (Aotearoa), the inter-twined lives of characters living in a lower socio-ecpnomic setting, all with different cultural backgrounds.
A perfectly crafted book that brings Maori, refugee, and Pakeha (white) cultures in a modern story of cultural understanding, with a smattering of racism and domestic control.
The spirits of Maori culture bring power to several characters, with swamps featuring as their strong and energetic places.
Kerri, Why, Sarah, Adam (and their daughter), Mrs B and Connor live alongside each other in more ways than physically. The author genuinely builds these characters and their intermingled lives through this book.
This is a powerful story and one that I hope builds trust, empathy and community for all.
Listened as an audiobook.
A perfectly crafted book that brings Maori, refugee, and Pakeha (white) cultures in a modern story of cultural understanding, with a smattering of racism and domestic control.
The spirits of Maori culture bring power to several characters, with swamps featuring as their strong and energetic places.
Kerri, Why, Sarah, Adam (and their daughter), Mrs B and Connor live alongside each other in more ways than physically. The author genuinely builds these characters and their intermingled lives through this book.
This is a powerful story and one that I hope builds trust, empathy and community for all.
Listened as an audiobook.
May 16, 2025
Three women - Keri, Sera and Janet - live as neighbours in a small town in New Zealand in the near future. Keri is a Maori woman with a teenage daughter (Wairere) and a young son (Walty). She has fled her life in Australia because of domestic violence. Sera has arrived with her husband and young daughter as refugees from an unnamed country that has become uninhabitable because of climate change. Janet is an older white (pakeha) woman, who also in the past escaped an abusive marriage.
The teenager Wairere is an outsider. She has a strong connection to the spirituality of nature, particularly the swamp the lies nearby and the water table that sits beneath their town. She is a 'matakite' - a woman with the ability to sense the future and to connect to her ancestors.
Tina Makeriti explores multiple themes through her story. Nature, climate change, the plight of refugees, racial prejudice, single parenthood, just to name a few. However, the book never feels overloaded - in fact it flows easily and takes the reader on a journey that becomes riddled with anxiety when Janet's son, Conor arrives. He spends his time on the dark web and becomes involved with a far right group that threatens the safety of his neighbours.
The dramatic ending stretches credibility but Makeriti writes so well that she carried me along. I suspended my disbelief and hoped against hope that decency and kindness would prevail.
Highly recommended.
The teenager Wairere is an outsider. She has a strong connection to the spirituality of nature, particularly the swamp the lies nearby and the water table that sits beneath their town. She is a 'matakite' - a woman with the ability to sense the future and to connect to her ancestors.
Tina Makeriti explores multiple themes through her story. Nature, climate change, the plight of refugees, racial prejudice, single parenthood, just to name a few. However, the book never feels overloaded - in fact it flows easily and takes the reader on a journey that becomes riddled with anxiety when Janet's son, Conor arrives. He spends his time on the dark web and becomes involved with a far right group that threatens the safety of his neighbours.
The dramatic ending stretches credibility but Makeriti writes so well that she carried me along. I suspended my disbelief and hoped against hope that decency and kindness would prevail.
Highly recommended.
October 17, 2024
I loved this book. Through the lives of three women and their whānau, Tina Makariti weaves themes of colonisation, racism, matauranga Māori, climate change and displacement, far-right extremism, poverty and an oppressive state...and creates a rich, tense but ultimately hopeful narrative. It's both a universal story and one for Aotearoa New Zealand.
September 7, 2024
Stunning, moving, bog-deep and rich as river-mud. Stacey Leilua reads this so perfectly too.
Read
September 8, 2025Unfortunately this book wouldn’t download on my kindle. After several attempts I’ve given up!
November 18, 2024
This book is beautiful. Another glorious piece of heart-felt Aotearoa writing. This is clever, nuanced, captivating, moving and empowering.
Makereti’s research around the insidious nature of far-right groups and how they recruit and the experiences of refugees has allowed her to reach inside these characters and utterly draw the reader into their lives.
She perfectly illustrates how a few thoughtless words or ‘advice’ can cause so much pain and harm and how scary and traumatising life is for refugees, even once they are ‘safe’ in a new ‘home’.
All her characters are vivid, real and damaged, most of all, Mother Swamp.
Makereti’s most beautiful and triumphant achievement in this narrative is connecting the reader to our land, our Aotearoa and the waters that shaped and made her. The voice of Mother Swamp is ancient, gentle, caring, angry, knowing and vengeful, so very vengeful. This story is a warning and a call to us all … stop it!
I have not been so moved by a book, its message and the way it is written in a very long time.
Makereti’s research around the insidious nature of far-right groups and how they recruit and the experiences of refugees has allowed her to reach inside these characters and utterly draw the reader into their lives.
She perfectly illustrates how a few thoughtless words or ‘advice’ can cause so much pain and harm and how scary and traumatising life is for refugees, even once they are ‘safe’ in a new ‘home’.
All her characters are vivid, real and damaged, most of all, Mother Swamp.
Makereti’s most beautiful and triumphant achievement in this narrative is connecting the reader to our land, our Aotearoa and the waters that shaped and made her. The voice of Mother Swamp is ancient, gentle, caring, angry, knowing and vengeful, so very vengeful. This story is a warning and a call to us all … stop it!
I have not been so moved by a book, its message and the way it is written in a very long time.
September 29, 2025
Atmospheric story set on the Kāpiti coast in the near future. Beautiful blend of climate horror, extremism and spirituality tied together by very human stories.
September 25, 2025
thank you Bonnier Books UK for sending me an ARC. this in no way changes my option.
(3.5) THE MIRES is like shards of coloured glass: beautiful imagery with sharp truths. Placed in a world that is so vividly Aotearoa, and narrated by the everlasting, omniscient swamp, THE MIRES collects threads of stories from three neighbours and the small patch of life they inhabit, weaving together a story with gorgeous prose.
Keri is a single mother to a spirited toddler and an angry, supernaturally emphatic teen. She battles between wishing to draw closer to her children, keep them fed, and finding herself. She’s started learning about her Māori roots, but with Wairere growing more distant by the day, Keri has simply too much on her hands.
Sera is a refugee. She’s just moved to Aotearoa after years of unrest in her home country and abroad, seeking asylum due to the climate crisis. She is relieved to be in a world that drowns in water rather than fire, but she misses having a purpose, as well as a community.
Janet is a bigoted old woman, who refused to keep her opinions to herself. When her son, Conor, returns, Janet is pleased to have company. But he’s been acting strange, and saying things that even she can admit are wrong.
THE MIRES explores climate change, racism, extremism, and relationships (particularly female relationships) with a speculative undertone. I especially loved Wairere and Sera’s perspectives, which felt very real and emotive. It is slow moving, however, which makes the pacing in the last quarter feel a bit off. The extremist white supremism veered towards stereotypes, making the character feel flat. I also felt that there was a bit too much of everything the author wished to convey, rushing over things that could have been dwelt upon.
Overall, however, this was very different to the books I usually read. The writing style was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved learning about a culture that I don’t know much about.
(3.5) THE MIRES is like shards of coloured glass: beautiful imagery with sharp truths. Placed in a world that is so vividly Aotearoa, and narrated by the everlasting, omniscient swamp, THE MIRES collects threads of stories from three neighbours and the small patch of life they inhabit, weaving together a story with gorgeous prose.
Keri is a single mother to a spirited toddler and an angry, supernaturally emphatic teen. She battles between wishing to draw closer to her children, keep them fed, and finding herself. She’s started learning about her Māori roots, but with Wairere growing more distant by the day, Keri has simply too much on her hands.
Sera is a refugee. She’s just moved to Aotearoa after years of unrest in her home country and abroad, seeking asylum due to the climate crisis. She is relieved to be in a world that drowns in water rather than fire, but she misses having a purpose, as well as a community.
Janet is a bigoted old woman, who refused to keep her opinions to herself. When her son, Conor, returns, Janet is pleased to have company. But he’s been acting strange, and saying things that even she can admit are wrong.
THE MIRES explores climate change, racism, extremism, and relationships (particularly female relationships) with a speculative undertone. I especially loved Wairere and Sera’s perspectives, which felt very real and emotive. It is slow moving, however, which makes the pacing in the last quarter feel a bit off. The extremist white supremism veered towards stereotypes, making the character feel flat. I also felt that there was a bit too much of everything the author wished to convey, rushing over things that could have been dwelt upon.
Overall, however, this was very different to the books I usually read. The writing style was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved learning about a culture that I don’t know much about.
March 24, 2025
Beautiful book. Quietly powerful and I found myself angry at times for the systemic discrimination that was woven throughout the characters lives. A layered story about connection with culture , country and each other. Told from the point of three women who make this book at times, a heartbreaking yet magic read.
July 6, 2024
A not too distant world where extreme climate change effects have made regions inhabitable, and made a wave of new refugees in need of safety and resettlement. A Maori family living on the poverty line, after fleeing domestic family violence. A white woman, set in her ways, has her son return to live after many years, a changed man with extreme views and activities.
These three threads form the neighbourhood of three units in a street in New Zealand, where three families live, and interact. A time of meeting, forming connections and finding similarities precedes a terrifying afternoon of being lost, found, frightened and reckoned with.
Woven through the story are Maori words, spirituality and the ongoing presence of the ancestors. An acknowledgement of land, and it's creatures, the importance of protection and preservation.
A book of multiculturalism, harmony and finding your people, alongside the terror of hate, supremacy and being vulnerable to being indoctrinated into something very dark.
Any book about refugees with a blurb on the cover by Behrouz Boochani is a book highly recommended. A surprising gem.
These three threads form the neighbourhood of three units in a street in New Zealand, where three families live, and interact. A time of meeting, forming connections and finding similarities precedes a terrifying afternoon of being lost, found, frightened and reckoned with.
Woven through the story are Maori words, spirituality and the ongoing presence of the ancestors. An acknowledgement of land, and it's creatures, the importance of protection and preservation.
A book of multiculturalism, harmony and finding your people, alongside the terror of hate, supremacy and being vulnerable to being indoctrinated into something very dark.
Any book about refugees with a blurb on the cover by Behrouz Boochani is a book highly recommended. A surprising gem.
May 31, 2025
So poignant, politically current, and nuanced beautiful. I hope they are listening. Is this the future or is it right now? Enrapturing writing and so many reminders of a home I am missing dearly - in particular the multiculturalism of Aotearoa.
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