Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

ELEANOR CATTON ‘Why I had to rebel’

The ending will catch you unaware. Eleanor Catton, the Kiwi author of Booker Prize-winning fame, has a new novel on the shelves and it’s very readable. It’s a contemporary thriller, but certainly not your run-of-the-mill potboiler.

Although she’s partial to thrillers, laughs Eleanor. “It’s the one genre my husband and I agree on. We always want to watch thrillers. My experience of reading thrillers is that I want to stay up all night reading to find out what happens next.” This one will have you doing just that.

When she famously won the literary world’s most coveted prize, the Booker, for her second novel, The Luminaries, the chair of the judging panel commented, “It’s a dazzling work.” Another critic wrote, “She is destined to be one of the most important and influential writers of her generation.”

At 28, she was the youngest person to ever win the Booker. And while it was a profound endorsement of her writing ability, it also came as a mixed blessing.

“I needed to take time out after ,” explains

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Australian Women’s Weekly NZ

Australian Women’s Weekly NZ4 min read
From One Mum To Another
I was on my way to pick up my 10-year-old daughter Freya from a birthday party when I received the news I might have cancer. I said to the doctor, “I don’t have time for cancer,” and he said, “Well, you’re going to have to make a bit of time.” I was
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ2 min read
Maggie’s Appetite For Life
If your eggs are not fresh the whites will break up and not hold together. To overcome this, line a teacup with cling film, spray with cooking spray, then crack the egg into the cup. Twist and tie up the cling film to create a small pouch; repeat wit
Australian Women’s Weekly NZ2 min read
Home Sweet Home
Designing kitchens is a passion of mine – what better way to understand how different people live and use their spaces than by crafting a room where they cook, gather with family and friends, and enjoy the best things in life? The family living in th

Related