BOOK OF THE YEAR

Books editor Dionne Christian and her team present the top reads of 2018

There are many things we do well in New Zealand; one of them is to produce attractive and thought-provoking books on a range of subjects which examine our place in the world as well as the way external forces shape us.

That, of course, speaks of the many and varied non-fiction offerings and in that I include food books, although those seem to have slowed down a little this year.

We can also take considerable pride in the quality of our fiction. Indeed, last year, NZ fiction as a category “won” our book of the year and in 2018, our literary fiction writers have continued to explore style and form and produce some compelling reads.

I won’t forget Kirsten Warner’s The Sound of Breaking Glass in a hurry while, earlier this year, David Hill heaped praise on Lloyd Jones’ novel The Cage and The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti. Kiran Dass greatly enjoyed, among others, Kate Duignan’s The New Ships and Anne Kennedy’s The Ice Shelf.

Our writers also excel in genre fiction, with crime and thriller reviewer Greg Fleming constantly bringing to my attention local writers who foot it with the best in the world. In this Christmas books special, both he and author Catherine Robertson note their picks in local fiction publishing.

Poetry is enjoying a worldwide resurgence and it’s no exception here with fine collections by new and established writers.

And then there are Young Adult (YA) and children’s books, which we have long excelled in. To narrow these books down to some sort of “top picks” is so very difficult when there’s an abundance of well-told stories focused on our world and showing Kiwi kids that their own backyards are intriguing places to be.

So, what’s the book of the year?

There were many deserving contenders, especially when, as they do at this time of year, publishers save the best for last and distribute a range of stunning books on everything from horses (The New Zealand Horse by Deborah Coddington and Jane Ussher) to our love affair with mountains (Scenic Playground: The Story Behind New Zealand’s Mountain Tourism).

But the book I’ve chosen is smaller and, perhaps, a little humbler looking. It’s Guardians of Aotearoa: Protecting New Zealand’s Legacies, by Johanna Knox with photography by Jess Charlton.

I picked it for three reasons.

Firstly, we’ve heard a lot of talk this year about “New Zealand” values and what it means to be a New Zealander in 2018. At 272 pages – smaller than some – and without being in the least bit didactic, Guardians of Aotearoa packs a whole lot in and captures the can-do spirit needed in a tumultuous and ever-changing world.

Secondly, environmental heroes were to be the book’s original focus but as Knox so sensibly explains in her introduction, “how do you divorce the natural environment from people and culture? We’re part of a whole. Everyone in this book cares doggedly about the planet and its life, but their work rarely fits one tidy category.”

I was delighted when I opened the book and found myself reading about Amit Ohdedar and Sudeepta Vyas who founded Prayas Theatre, which just goes to show the depth and range of the subjects.

To read the stories of these 39 disparate Kiwis who are “preserving skills and knowledge or restoring and protecting our environment or the values that are part of what it means to be New Zealanders” is to feel admiration for these individuals but also hope.

We could all do with feeling more optimistic about the future so that’s the final and, perhaps, most important reason I chose Guardians of Aotearoa: Protecting New Zealand’s Legacies as our 2018 NZ book of the year.