Book Review: Ōkiwi Brown by Cristina Sanders

Ōkiwi Brown is the latest novel from local author Cristina Sanders. The story is set in New Zealand in the early days of colonial settlement, and while a work of fiction, the story draws on well-researched historical facts and real people.

I’m an avid reader of historical fiction books, but this is the first one I’ve read that is set in New Zealand. I think that might come down to what we learn at school, or at least when I was at high school. Our social studies and history classes mostly revolved around significant historical events of other countries, rather than our own. So, it was nice to get out of my reading comfort zone and learn about some New Zealand history.

The story crosses between Edinburgh in the late 1820s and New Zealand (specifically the lower North Island) in the 1840s/50s. The Edinburgh storyline follows the “anatomy murders” which were carried out by William Burke and William Hare. Burke is hanged for the crimes while Hare is released and flees Edinburgh. A Google search upon finishing the book gave me some interesting additional reading on this true crime that rocked Edinburgh at the time. The rest of the story in New Zealand mainly centres around the title character who calls himself Ōkiwi Brown. Rumours swirl that this mysterious man could be the missing William Hare, especially when bad things start to happen in the area.

I enjoyed both parts of the story and how they were woven together by Sanders. All aspects of the story felt they would be authentic for the time – language, clothing worn by the characters, setting, jobs etc. Vivid descriptions also made it easy to feel that you had been transported to that time while reading.

Other main characters in the book helped to shine a harsh light on living in New Zealand during early colonial settlement. This includes soldiers James Meney and Patrick Spolan who had been sent here to fight in the land wars against Māori. Fighting in the rugged wilderness, seeing their comrades die for a cause they don’t quite understand. Then essentially set loose to fend for themselves with no ‘reward’ for their actions. There’s William Leckie, who is still struggling with the death of his wife and raising his young daughter Mary on his own. He had his dream of his own cottage on a piece of land for him and his family taken away when reality had other plans. Now he’s a drunk, wandering from job to job with his poor daughter Mary in tow. Or Nan, a Māori woman who was captured by whalers and then left on Ōkiwi Bay to fend for herself. She ends up becoming Ōkiwi’s reluctant and mistreated wife. In this way the book really focuses on the suffering and instability of the ‘less respectable’ members of society – soldiers, drunkards, whalers, labourers etc. While ‘more respectable’ members of society only serve as supporting character roles.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable and interesting read. I look forward to going back and reading some of Sanders’ previous novels and learning more about New Zealand history in the process!

Posted by Rachel Reads

28 February 2025

Back to Library Blog