Kataraina

Auē #2

by Becky Manawatu

In Aue eight-year-old Arama was taken by his brother, Taukiri, to live with Kat and Stu at the farm in Kaikoura, setting in train the tragedy that unfolded. Arama's aunty Kat was at the centre of events, but silenced by abuse her voice was absent from the story.
In Kataraina, Kat and her whanau take over the telling. As one, they return to her childhood and the time when she first began to feel the greenness of the swamp in her veins - the swamp that holds her tears and the tears of her tipuna, the swamp on the land owned by Stu that has been growing since the girl shot the man.
Becky Manawatu's new novel is the much-awaited sequel to award-winning bestseller Aue and is unflinching in its portrayal of the destructive ways people love one another and the ancestral whenua on which they stand.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2024

About the author

Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) was born in Nelson in 1982, raised in Waimangaroa and has returned there to live with her family. She worked as a reporter for The News in Westport.

Becky’s short story ‘Abalone’ was long-listed for the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, her essay ‘Mothers Day’ has been selected for the Landfall anthology Strong Words.

Auē is her first novel & it won both the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction and the Hubert Church Prize for best first book of fiction at the 2020 Ockham Book Awards.

Reviews

[Umbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dehydrated

Full review is if you enjoyed Auē you will certainly enjoy this. The scope is expanded (really enjoyed reading about the history of the kūkūwai, such a clever way to weave narratives across 140 years together) and it’s less led by plot movements than the first, but the works are in dialogue with each other, and I think it’s a really special sequel!

[Urmi Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book difficult to read. The continually jumping timeline was confusing. I didn’t enjoy this a much as Auē which I loved. That being said, I thought the links with Kat’s ancestors was cleverly woven into the story.

[Tracy Plane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Auē breaks your heart into a million pieces and Kataraina helps piece it back together. Beautiful.

[nina.reads.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Becky Manawatu’s Auē when it first came out and was blow away by the storytelling. It told the story of eight year old Ārama who goes to live with his Aunty Kat and her partner Stu at their farm. This sets up a chain events that brings tragedy but also family reconciliation. It highlighted the gang violence and domestic violence that is prevalent in Maori communities. It was a 5 star read for me.

In Kataraina, Kat and her whānau (family) are in charge of the story. This book circles Auē rather than being just a sequel which i thought was a clever approach. The story moves backwards and forwards in time covering Kat’s childhood and the times after the major event at the end of the first book. There is a theme of “greenness” in the land and the swamp that Kat feels deep in her bones. The intergenerational trauma is woven throughout though with a lighter touch this time.

Kataraina was a really excellent read that almost but not quite matched my experience of reading Auē. The moving around in time did make it a little hard to keep track of the story and the imagery was perhaps a little heavy on the magical but goodness what a writer Becky Manawatu is! The New Zealand
writers I have read over the past few years have so impressed me. The way the land and swamps and Maori culture is described is beautiful. And the use of Maori language peppered throughout is so important and a real experience to read. I’d highly recommend picking up Becky Manawatu’s books.

Thank you so much @scribepub for my #gifted copy.

4 1/2 stars

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly moving tale of intergenerational trauma, land and all it holds. One of the most moving sentences I've ever read was "...shame is a beast, and it doesn't eat apples and eggs and creamed corn or pain. It slurps up hope and the people you might have been. Gorges on her brilliance"

On an unrelated note, I took this book to the patuna chasm and it ended up in the chasm alongside me. The book's newfound dampness seems fitting given the watery references throughout.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed parts of this, especially following Kat's story, but struggled with the amount of jumping between timeframes and people's stories. I didn't find it as engaging as Auē but appreciated have some follow in to that storyline.

[John Vogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unreal sequel to Aue. This book has all the emotions and finishes beautifully. Kataraina is equally as good as Aue, with its perspectives focusing on the other side of the family. The descriptions of generational trauma and abuse is very moving and very realistic. This seems to be a trademark of this series, realism, as you constantly feel like you are perched next to the characters as each page progresses. You visualise everything, like you’re in a movie. If you liked Aue I would 100% recommended.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

don’t listen to my sister, a beautiful book

[Emily :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow.

[Amie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Kataraina a good, deep read, but it didn’t quite grab me in the same way Auē did. It follows Kataraina as she navigates trauma, loss, and disconnection, drawing heavily on themes of whakapapa, whenua, and whānau. Manawatu’s writing is still powerful and emotionally grounded, and there are moments of real beauty and insight. But for me, the pacing was slower, and I didn’t feel as invested in the characters or storyline overall.

That said, the novel carries an emotional weight and cultural resonance that deserves recognition. It’s a story about healing and finding your way back to yourself and your people. A solid read – just not quite the standout Auē was for me.

[Susan Wilson]

I appreciated that this novel brought together different layers of Kat’s story – her younger self and herself after. I also thought that weaving in the earlier generation, and the presence of the kūkūwai (swamp) was clever. It did mean that the story moved around in time quite a bit, which I struggled with as I found it limited my connection to the characters. Regardless, the trauma of domestic violence was powerfully portrayed.

[Alice Mander]

Oh to write a book like this! I loved the poetic, beautiful writing and the characters were all so three dimensional and believable. Stunning “sequel”- though sequel doesn’t feel like the right word, as it feels more like a twin to Auë as opposed to a second story. I personally preferred it to Auë, as it was less plot driven and more introspective which is my personal preference in books. It could perhaps have done with a bit more editing towards the end, but I didn’t mind because the writing was so lush.

[Jayden Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

auē was such a beautiful, moving read and while i thought this novel was also gorgeously written i found it dealt more in the abstract and te ao māori rather than being as plot-driven.

this was an excellent follow up with some truly gorgeous writing that delved into a lot (domestic violence, generational trauma, māori beliefs and reo) but i think it’s a tough ask to live up to the initial magic of auē.

that being said, if you liked auē i would still definitely recommend you read this!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a very long time. Magical

[Danelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful storytelling. Using the kūkūwai to weave the stories, whakapapa and time together was brilliant. No notes.

[Sapphira Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a creative and poetic sequel! Confusing for me the weaving storylines but overall sobering and one of a kind

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed that I didn't enjoy this as much as Auē.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mīharo! Manawatu clearly at the height of her powers now. Captures Te Ao Māori so beautifully. A companion to, more than a sequel, of Auē.

[Ricki-Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this after loving Auē so much… but it completely lost me. I enjoyed the style of weaving stories across time, but I found the poetics and overly flourished writing didn’t get through to me. I just didn’t really get it, it never captivated me, and I was looking forward to it being over. I wouldn’t mind trying to read this again in a few years, rereading Auē (as I forgot so much of what happened in the first book) and then this again, to see if it sits differently.

[Evelyn Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as Aue but still 5 stars

[Chanté Autar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Auē and I loved this.

I will forever be in awe of Becky Manawatu’s writing and the way her characters leap off the page. I just spent the last two hours in bed flipping through the pages and wept at the acknowledgments - the love runs deep through her words. With everything going on in NZ at the moment with the current situation (globally and here in Aotearoa soil), this made my heart exhale for a second.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Becky Manawatu writes beautifully and “Auė” is one of the best books I’ve ever read but I was disappointed in this book. The first 50 pages had me hooked as I remembered all the ‘feels’ from her previous work but from then on I found a lot of it repetitive and padded and the different timelines got quite confusing. I loved the ancestral aspects and the cycle of domestic violence and the swamp was magnificent. (As a different one is in Tina Makereti’s novel The Mires)
I’m glad I met all the characters again but would look for a new story in future.

[Deina Susilo-Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!!!! Not as heavy as Aue (thank God) but I still wept, another beautiful commentary on aspects of life in nz. Love the way she weaves together poetry and narrative

[Adrienne Flitcroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep, dark, complicated & poetic.
This book was a challenging read with the jumping between timelines & the style of writing being quite difficult. I almost gave up, but halfway through I became quite captivated & raced through it!

[Brady Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘auē’ was one of my favourite books i read the year i read it. i loved the three pronged story of becky manawatu’s debut, but the scattered, jarringly nonlinear approach of ‘kataraina’ is very confounding. i had a lot of trouble following the story, found myself wondering what the purpose of it was. i could rarely settle into each chapter, being irritated that becky had to constantly reintroduce characters just so we would know where we were at in the story. there were also other weird errors, such as an instance of an entire sentence just being repeated for no reason. chronological errors were present: jade being pregnant with taukiri in a chapter that according to its time placement - based on the family tree at the start of the book - he should have been 4, and kataraina being 16 in a chapter where again, based on the family tree, she couldn’t have been older than 15. ideally there should have been three stories: kataraina in her teen years, the two years in the aftermath of the auē ending, and the ancestor story; the latter two of which were so criminally underdeveloped to the point of being rendered almost pointless. while the prose was certainly interesting, it honestly felt like poetry, a fever dream at times; i ultimately found it quite hard to follow. i’m still going to read the next thing becky manawatu writes, i just wish ‘kataraina’ was as good as its predecessor and potential.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read Auē, I was floored. I had never read anything like it before, nothing so intentional and exquisite and brave. I recommended it to every single person I knew, and they all loved it too. Now, Manawatu has followed up with a story that pieces back together what Auē tore apart. These stories feel one and the same; that they belong together, could not exist without the other, is so strikingly evident it is as though Kataraina's story has always been known.

Manawatu weaves a plot through various threads of meaning, and her ability to tie everything together reflects an increasingly mature and complex writing style. The plot reinforces the circularity, driving forward and then pulling back, thematically using the whenua as a bridge between mokopuna and tīpuna, the past and the future. It reminds me of how Keri Hulme wrote cyclicality into the bone people (although of course, Manawatu's writing stands strongly on its own merit). We are given access to other worlds and other people, past Ārama and Beth, past Taukiri and Toko and Jade, to Aroha and Colleen and Hēnare, Nanny Liz, Granddad Jack, to the origins of violence and the beginning of unbreakable spells - until, of course, they are broken.

The novel conveys an indigenous knowing that is so deeply grounded it calls itself home. Manawatu is a literary force to be reckoned with! Read this book!

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favourite novels of recent times (along with, quite possibly, everyone else) was AUĒ by Becky Manawatu. A distinctly kiwi storyline, exploring difficult themes of cultural violence and intergenerational trauma, spun around a propulsive plot and crafted with poeticism — I gave it all the stars.

KATARAINA is Manuwatu’s sophomore novel, and takes us back to the land of the long white cloud, to that same family that first captivated our hearts in AUĒ. While not quite a sequel, it’s probably best to describe this one as an origin story that centres around one of Manuwatu’s beloved characters, Aunty Kat.

My expectations of KATARAINA were optimistic with a predecessor as accomplished as AUĒ. If you recall, Aunty Kat was the mother figure who kindly took in her siblings’ children — Taukiri and Arama — despite her own traumas. Here, she is rendered into context, her story a micro analysis of the mistreatment of women under male dominion through time. There’s also a swamp that’s central to Kat’s story and mirrors a similar injustice, the mistreatment of taonga (treasure) under (male) colonialism. A balancing act between yielding and resistance occurs throughout the novel and was executed flawlessly.

But relative to AUĒ, KATARAINA felt like an entirely different novel altogether; its perpetually shifting timelines often made it difficult to reclaim a solid grounding of events and characters, its voice not quite as assured and at times, overly embellished. The empathy and charm I found in AUĒ was just not as strong or as connected to character.

Then again, I am comparing KATARAINA to an incredibly high baseline. On its own, it’s still a beautiful piece of literature, although I would strongly suggest (re)reading AUĒ before starting this one, even if just to remind yourself of character relationships and the events leading up to that pivotal moment in the first book. Still, KATARAINA remains a satisfying novel, exemplifying wonderfully Manuwatu’s evolving talent.

Find more of my reviews on Instagram: @tackling.my.tbr

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our ancestor once lived close to the house where he was shot. She was at the river when a man approached her and offered her some peaches from a can, but then he attacked her.

When a book starts with the most kiwi way to describe a horrible event you know you are in for a treat of a story or at least normally you are. Manawatu has a true talent for incapsulating the kiwi culture and translating it to paper. However, it wasn't a clear on in this novel as it was in Aue!. I had been desperate to read this as soon as it was released because I absolutely loved Aue! and was excited there was a sequel but I am sadly walking away disappointed. This wasn't bad per se but it was great. I initially enjoyed but it somewhere in the journey through the book, I got lost and left behind, boredom set it and I disengaged. It felt like it was mostly full of pointless story threads that weren't really needed.

I just can't put my finger on it, but this was no where near the standard of Aue!. Still worth a read and I can see why some still devoured this and loved it. Is still has Manawatu's lovely writing. It's just this storyline just didn't connect with me I think?

[Sheridan Ayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This authors’s first book nearly took my breath away, and that was an easy 5 stars - but this story …

Undeniably, this novel is just as stunningly written - the author’s ability to make you “feel” the environment (that swamp !!!), the interweaving of ancestry into the story, and the characters themselves combined to pack a very powerful punch.

However, the back and forth timelines interrupted the flow for me, and I found myself having to refer back to the family tree a number of times to confirm who related to which generation.
I struggled to get into a rhythm reading this book and so it felt disjointed .
I consequently felt that I didn’t do it justice.

But despite my challenges, the writing style alone makes this book 4 star read - just beautiful.

[Emma Potter-Hay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kataraina is centred around the shooting that concludes Auē, with each section/chapter set in reference to when the shooting occurred. This created a “braided river” effect, which the author described at the Christchurch Word festival. While the idea was clever and metaphorical, I found it confusing and hard to follow, and it meant I never fully got stuck into the book. Some of the writing was beautiful, and there were passages I really enjoyed reading, but overall I felt the structure distracted from this. I struggled with the book over all and found myself racing to finish it, which was a shame as I remember really enjoying Auē. This could also be personal preference as I enjoy linear, plot driven novels more than those written more poetically.