— return to list

For Everyone Concerned & Other Stories

Wilkens, Damien

This exhilarating mixture of fables, satires, notes to self and short stories will further enhance Wilkins’s reputation as one of the most innovative of New Zealand’s leading writers. Highlights of these 21 amusing, perceptive pieces are an unexpected near-drowning on a writer’s tour (the world of children’s books), childhood (crown the king, reunion, town belt), a meal with parents to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary (wife is short), visits to the dentist (wisdom, divorce), and the inside story of setting up an exhibition (i wrote the book).

After our swim, we sat on the beach, with our bruises. That sea, we said. We’d all been dumped by waves, sucked and tossed. You stood on the steep shelf and felt a few thousand little stones move away under you. It took some effort to stay upright.
Tina said, I didn’t know Gavin was a good swimmer.
Neither did I, said Kate.
But he was out beyond the breakers. You could see his feet, then his head. He was long, like a stick, careless as timber, floating and drifting.
You think he’s all right? said Kate.
He’s playing silly buggers, said Tina. My husband does things like that.
Then we heard the faintest shout over the surf and we walked down to the water. Carl was just coming in; his chest was scraped. He said, I’ve had enough of this. We said we had too. Great though, he said and we agreed. It was invigorating. It was a great violent swim full of stones and we were hungry.
Gavin’s staying out there a long time, said Kate. -- From “The World of Children’s Books”

PO BOX 17-244, WELLINGTON 6147, NEW ZEALAND.
TEL: +64-4-475 3327, info@nzbooksabroad.com, FAX: +64-4-475 4040.