FICTION

Necessary Secrets By Gregg McGee, Upstart Press, $37.99

.. .. .. .. .. .. New Zealand author Greg McGee has pretty much done it all. Worked in theatre, television, film, and the writer of Foreskin’s Lament. Then there was his 2012 record breaking Richie McCaw biography. In Necessary Secrets McGee introduces us to the Sparks family. Dennis Sparks is about to turn 70 and is holed up with a Walther PPK pistol, plucking up the courage to use it on himself. His three adult children Will, Ellie and Stan are also gathered at Den’s Herne Bay home. The novel is told in four parts, each one from a different family member so we get an accurate picture of their relationships, their hopes, their expectations. It’s at times darkly, funny, and an intimate look at modern family life in New Zealand. A worthy read. — Tony Nielsen