When I had the opportunity to read the second Kawai book ‘Tree of Nourishment’, I decided it was time to get educated. This book for me is my book of the year and I have read some real goodies this year!
A hauntingly beautiful and powerful follow up to ‘Kawai: For such a time as this’. It's 1818 on the East Coast of New Zealand. Hine-aute, granddaughter of the warrior Kaitanga, is fleeing through the bush, a precious yet gruesome memento contained in her fishing net. What follows is a gripping tale of a people on the cusp of unprecedented change that is destined to reverberate through many years to come. From the raids by musket-wielding war parties to heightened internal warfare and the influx of whalers, traders and missionaries, early colonisation has a profound impact on the future generations.
I loved the strength of character of Hine-aute. She didn’t fit the traditional female mould for that time and was constantly challenged in her beliefs, her faith and her perception of her family’s future.
This is a spectacular historical novel that immerses the reader in a pre-colonial life that the modern world cannot imagine. And yes, there are some gruesome and confronting parts along the way, but they are an honest reflection of life back then and add a sense of authenticity to the storyline. I don’t believe you have to have read the first book, to enjoy the second, but I’ll definitely have Book One on my reading list.
