With environmental devastation, war, hostility towards refugees and the rise of white supremacism screaming at us in our newsfeeds, many of us seek the balm of connection to Country and Indigenous wisdom to find respite from the catastrophic problems created by capitalism and colonialism. Tina Makereti explores many of these topics and provides that balm with her quiet, beautiful book The Mires.
The Mires is set on a swamp in Kapiti, on the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. A small neighbourhood is built on top of the swamp and its inhabitants coexist uneasily. Keri is a warm Māori woman recovering from domestic violence, who struggles to get food on the plates of her lively four-year-old Walty and her mysterious teenage daughter Wairere, who hears the voices of her ancestors and has the gift of sight.
Next door live Sera, Adam and their little one Aliana. They are refugees from an ecological disaster in Europe. On the other side is Janet, a white New Zealander – also a survivor of domestic violence, with fixed ideas about the way people should be. She lives with her son Conor, a lost and recently radicalised young man who is exhibiting strange, secretive behaviour.
The novel begins with a quiet humble dignity and builds to a mythic and catastrophic finale. It is a small book about women, family, the suburbs, community and outsiders, but also a large book about environmental disaster, racism and terrorism.
Keri and Sera begin a sweet, tentative friendship, forged by their mutual empathy, understanding of suffering and the need to connect. Their children provide a bridge for their two worlds to come together, and from their connection a sense of community begins to grow.
By contrast, Conor operates in isolation next door, spending his days online, connecting with extremist right-wing groups and terrorising woman and migrants with trolling and hate speech. His mother and teenage Wairere observe his hostility and secretive behaviour with a growing unease and sense of foreboding.
The Mires is Indigenous literature written with a deep, spiritual connection to Country and ancestors. Informed by the recent Christchurch massacres and the alarming rise of white extremism around the world, it is a courageous book that shines a light on the darkest human behaviour and shows how the best of humanity can emerge from devastation, and triumph over hatred and violence.
Read: Book review: Love, Death & Other Scenes, Nova Weetman
This is a very internal book. Its beautifully drawn characters are all quiet people, swamped by trauma and trying to keep their heads above water. Within this interiority we sense that each one of them longs for understanding and connection – and the overarching message of the book is that when we seek community, we grow stronger. This is a book for and about the little people who struggle. It is a beautiful respite from the arrogance and ego of Western capitalism, the patriarchy and modern politics. It is a book that cares and a book that matters.
The Mires, Tina Makereti
Publisher: Ultimo Press
ISBN: 9781761153693
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320pp
Price: $34.99
Publication date: July 2024
