WINNER OF THE JANN MEDLICOTT ACORN PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER OF THE MITOQ BEST FIRST BOOK OF FICTION
WINNER OF THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL
aue
1. (verb) to cry, howl, groan, wail, bawl.
2. (nterjection) expression of astonishment or distress.
Taukiri was born into sorrow. Aue can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father's. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to a violent home.
But Taukiri's brother, Arama, is braver than he looks, and he has a friend, and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sadness.
This bestselling multi-award-winning novel is both raw and sublime, introducing a compelling new voice in New Zealand fiction.
'There is something so assured and flawless in the delivery of the writing voice that is almost like acid on the skin.'
-Tara June Winch, co-judge of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction 2020
'This is the kind of social realist New Zealand fiction I'm thrilled to see ... This is a real punch-in-the-guts kind of novel but while it deals with themes of domestic violence, gang culture, grief and fractured families and, is at times, a heartbreaking read; it is also a beautifully pitched and nuanced hopeful story about the power of love, friendship and family ... I think everybody should read Aue. It's a book that people will still be talking about in decades to come.'
-Kiran Dass, NZ Herald
'A deep and powerful work, maybe even the most successfully achieved portrayal of underclass New Zealand life since Once Were Warriors.'
-Steve Braunias, Newsroom
