The plot thickens
New Zealand Listener|July 30 - August 5, 2022
She's been a teen stowaway, a prostitute, and a GP. So it's not entirely surprising that Lauren Roche has now turned to fiction writing, in the latest chapter of her extraordinary life.
SHARON STEPHENSON
The plot thickens

There's a Japanese word, ikigai, which means having a direction or purpose in life. Although there's no literal English translation, it's a philosophy that embodies the art of living a balanced, slower life - one that brings joy.

Mention to Dr Lauren Roche that she may have achieved ikigai and, eye roll aside, the GP-turned-author will agree. "These days, I have a nice quiet life," she says from her home in Northland's Tutukaka, a hefty stone's throw from the water.

"I actually live a hermit life, which I love." I'm calling to chat about the 60-year-old's debut novel, Mila and the Bone Man. Set in the Far North, close to where Roche has lived for seven years, it centres around Mila, a young woman of Croatian heritage, and her Māori neighbour Tommy, whose passion for the bush and bones changes her life in ways she couldn't imagine. "It's a story of deep friendship and complex grief and the way that affects people. And how these characters, who are of the forest, seek healing and solace from that forest."

Before we get to that, and chat about why Roche gave up medicine to write, we first have to dip into how she got here, to a writing hut in dense native bush, her fivemonth-old puppy at her feet.

It's an astonishing story that has everything: prostitution, fire-eating, prison, sexual abuse, bankruptcy, medical school, drugs and suicide. There's even a shipwreck, an Ironman competition and three marriages.

It's the kind of story, if Hollywood ever got its hands on it, in which you just know Kate Winslet would play the role of Roche.

It was the subject of Roche's 1999 memoir, Bent not Broken, in which she wrote, "My life is one of dreams lost and found again, of abandonment and rediscovery. There is pain, but there is also a lot of laughter and light."

Esta historia es de la edición July 30 - August 5, 2022 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición July 30 - August 5, 2022 de New Zealand Listener.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE NEW ZEALAND LISTENERVer todo
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 9, 2024