Auē (Aue)

Author(s): Becky Manawatu

Staff Picks- Read our reviews | Pakimaero / Fiction

Taukiri was born into sorrow. Auē can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father’s. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to a violent home. But Ārama is braver than he looks, and he has a friend and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sorrow. As long as there’s aroha to give and stories to tell and a good supply of plasters. Here is a novel that is both raw and sublime, a compelling new voice in New Zealand fiction. Haere mai, Becky Manawatu.

'By far one of the best NZ Fiction books I've ever read, Aue throws you headlong into a heart-breaking story of domestic violence and grief, while also managing to bring forward a strong message of hope and new beginnings.


Ari is an orphan, sent to live with his aunt and uncle along-side cousin Beth. Victim to his relatives cruel dealings, he finds comfort in Beth's dog and a box of plasters he uses to fix his 'emotional injuries'. Overall, a powerful and raw novel; one that will definitely get you thinking about the prevalence of domestic violence in our society today – particularly in our own Aotearoa, New Zealand.'  Rosa


Product Information

Winner - Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2020 Winner - Ngaio Marsh Award 2020  

Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu) was born in Nelson, raised in Waimangaroa and has returned there to live with her family, working as a reporter for The News in Westport. Becky’s short story ‘Abalone’ was long-listed for the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, her essay ‘Mothers Day’ was selected for the Landfall anthology Strong Words. Auē is her first novel.

General Fields

  • : 9780995111073
  • : Makaro Press
  • : Makaro Press
  • : January 2021
  • : 20.00 cmmm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Becky Manawatu
  • : Paperback
  • : 1909
  • : en