Mmm, I do love it when an author skewers the more tawdry aspects of contemporary life!

New Zealander Emily Perkins is the author of a collection of short stories Not Her Real Name and Other Stories (1996); and the novels: Leave Before You Go (1998, on my TBR); The New Girl (2001); Novel about My Wife (2008, see my review) and The Forrests (2012). She is also a columnist and a screenwriter, a teacher of creative writing and was the host of TVNZ7’s book programme The Good Word. Her latest release Lioness is set in Wellington NZ where she is now resident after a career which includes teaching in the UK, India, and China.

For readers whose mental image of New Zealand features pristine scenery and lots of sheep, Lioness offers an urban landscape and a world of wealth and privilege. (If you've ever watched Grand Designs New Zealand you will know that there are some really (really) rich Kiwis who exemplify the kind of inequitable society that has emerged in late stage capitalism here in Australia too. (If you have some spare millions you can buy one those palatial extravaganzas, there were six on the market on the day I looked, see here.)

The central characters in Lioness are a husband and wife power couple: Trevor is a developer under scrutiny because of some shady planning deal on a waterfront hotel, and Therese runs a chain of lifestyle boutiques, which she's about to expand into Sydney. (Where they will retire to a suitably posh address.)

We visited Wellington in 2019 so I can attest to how well the setting is realised. I'm very glad we didn't experience the terrifying plane landing that Therese describes.

The plane jolted, my champagne glass nearly snatched out of my hand by an unseen force. Landing in Wellington was infamously hairy, and even a jet like this could shake about in turbulence. The seatbelt light dinged on repeat. I drained my drink and tucked the glass into the seat pocket. Trevor was engrossed in the spreadsheet on his laptop, headphones on. We lifted and dropped, plateauing with another bump. I reached for his forearm and he unhooked his headphones. At the next bang of air, he closed the laptop. We held hands, our fingers interlaced, as around us people gasped and yelped in the shaking cabin. At the top of the galley the air stewards stared into the middle distance from their perches. If the plane crashes, I thought, it won't matter which class we are in. Another part of me thought, it will never crash with Trevor on board.

The next lift in the air — almost sweet, weightless — was followed by the sharpest drop yet, and someone screamed, and a woman behind us in the cabin started singing 'Amazing grace.' (p.9)

The oxygen masks come down, the plane banks so that all she can see through the window is the raw, bobbing ocean, and a man gets out his phone to ring his loved ones.

Next time, we'll fly in through Auckland!

It is Therese who narrates most of the novel, with what seems like disarming honesty. Her background is modest, and a makeover is part of the deal when she marries Trevor. Along with changing her name from Teresa to the more aspirational Therese, smartening up her vowels and her dress sense, she gets that wonky eyetooth straightened so that she could open her mouth when she smiled. These canines are what we used to tear our food, and this action is symbolic of the way she willingly submits to restraining any expression of anger. To enjoy this kind of good life, she has to fit in and make everything good and nice for everybody else.

Her forbearance is not the patience of a gentle personality; it is the price of the life she leads.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/09/06/lioness-2023-by-emily-perkins/ ( )

I was excited to discover this author's latest book the day before my birthday, so had to buy it. I found myself wanting to get back to Therese. It is a book for these times, looking at blended families, the balance between partners in relationships and consumerism. It certainly didn't disappoint. ( )