A Kind of Catharsis
If you thought Invercargill was only home to Tim Shadbolt, Bluff oysters and New Zealand’s iconic motor cycle legends, Burt Munroe and John Britten, think again. Otaki-based writer, and Otaki Mail editor, Ann Chapman, sets out to show that New Zealand’s southernmost city has a dark and grimy underbelly (brutality, murder and mayhem) with her debut novel A Kind of Catharsis.
The story features a myriad of characters, many with twisted goals, and almost all with a creepy, sleazy side, particularly the villainous Rob. In writing A Kind of Catharsis Ann has given readers a bleak, plot-driven crime thriller of Biblical revenge, almost an “an eye for an eye” narrative.
As we despair for the unfortunate Topaz, we sympathise, even as we’re repulsed, by flawed heroes, Georgia, Niall and Ben who are brought together by a horrific act, the unexplained death of a sister and mother. The three embark on a sombre journey of vengeance, the story twisting and turning through a multi-layered drug culture, police corruption and brutal gang life.
Ann evokes the Southland setting of Invercargill with clarity, using a strong sense of Kiwi place, vernacular and attitude (and a fair amount of cheese rolls). The numerous inner musings of her characters are frequently disturbing, and her detailed knowledge and eye for police, medical and forensic procedure appears chillingly accurate, revealing the evil lurking in us all – the bad deeds even good men and women do.
This is not a nice “fairies at the bottom of the garden” read. People die, sometimes in a gruesome manner, but for those who aren’t squeamish, and who like their murder mysteries laced with evil, touched with Old Testament morality, and heavy on the dark side, this is a perfect pick.