BULIBASHA BY WITI IHIMAERA

Bulibasha by Witi Ihimaera is another standout. As an emerging gay man, I struggled to understand my place – where the hell did I t in structures of family, sports, New Zealand society? Was there even a place for me? While the narrator character, Simeon is not gay (Bulibasha was published in 1994, two years before Ihimaera came out publicly through his novel Nights in the Gardens of Spain), I found myself relating to Simeon’s struggles as family and societal tensions engulfed him. Add the rural setting and the shearing shed resonated with particular force for me.