Survival tactics
New Zealand Listener|April 22 - 28 2023
Pandemic satire delivers pacy plot and much food for thought.
BRIGID FEEHAN
Survival tactics

KIND, by Stephanie Johnson (PRHNZ Vintage, $37)

A Kiwi pandemic novel with elements of a pacy thriller, Stephanie Johnson's Kind is also a wry and clear-eyed commentary on New Zealand, where we are and where we're headed. There are many plot strands - each richly peopled and filled with nail-biting jeopardy - and multiple perspectives. This satisfying complexity means the novel is way more than an exploration of lockdown-related claustrophobia and navel-gazing. There is a bit of that - but just enough.

It's the second week of Level 4 lockdown and newly separated Lyall Hull, a National MP for Christchurch, has "had enough of looking at walls and Netflix [and] memes about... being kind". So he leaves his soulless apartment and takes off for the Southern Alps in his work van. The van has his face "the size of a P-class sail" on the side, "backed by high-sheen National Party blue". His new mountain bike is in the back.

This story is from the April 22 - 28 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 22 - 28 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView All
Seeds of hope
New Zealand Listener

Seeds of hope

A team of botanists is saving one of our most threatened orchids and reintroducing it into the wild.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
The Clinton factor
New Zealand Listener

The Clinton factor

Kamala Harris is battling a double whammy of racism and sexism in her presidential quest.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
Stuff & nonsense
New Zealand Listener

Stuff & nonsense

The gutsy woman who took on ownership of media company Stuff for $1 scoffs at the idea that she's a mogul.

time-read
9 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
Pop goes the union
New Zealand Listener

Pop goes the union

It's a wee, thin piece of plastic, barely a centimetre long, but it's as good as a whole new referendum to reaffirm that the Brexit spirit is alive and in grumbling good health.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
Delusions of grandeur
New Zealand Listener

Delusions of grandeur

In life, and therefore in politics, when things become difficult at home we tend to look at problems elsewhere, either for distraction or reassurance.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
A virtuoso on display
New Zealand Listener

A virtuoso on display

Artand music combine across the centuries ina new album from Somi Kim.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
Cold, hard facts
New Zealand Listener

Cold, hard facts

In his latest documentary, Patrick Gower examines climate change and its repercussions.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
The selfish giant
New Zealand Listener

The selfish giant

Violin great Maxim Vengerov was a child prodigy in Siberia. Now, he is coming to NZ to play the instrument's greatest concerto.

time-read
4 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
Kindred souls
New Zealand Listener

Kindred souls

A love for the sound of British Northern soul leads to an unlikely alliance in this big-hearted novel.

time-read
2 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024
Hungry for history
New Zealand Listener

Hungry for history

Irish chefs are taking the best of the country's traditional ingredients and giving them a top-class 21st-century spin.

time-read
8 mins  |
August 10-16, 2024