Debatable Land (edition 1995)

This is the story of 6 characters sailing a yacht across the Pacific from Tahiti to New Zealand. Three of them are Scots. "As the boat moves south from island to island, each colonised in its different way, the small northern country that has formed the book's three main characters exerts its own magnetic pull. In this ambitious first novel Candia McWilliam interweaves a bold narrative of the sea with subtle reflections on origins, belonging and the shape of the past." - from the book jacket. Under stress and in close quarters, the characters seem to fit in years of living and emotional discovery in a few short days.
I'm not sure if I like it or not. The ending is a bit puzzling and leaves some parts of the story open to interpretation, or unresolved. Maybe I will like it better on a second reading, one day. ( )