Author(s): Witi Ihimaera

NZ Fiction

Witi Ihimaera's best-selling novel The Matriarch was the acclaimed winner of the Wattie Award in 1986. The Dream Swimmer is the much-anticipated sequel.This new novel continues the odyssey of Tama Mahana, grandson and heir to the matriarch, as he takes up the mantle of leadership, along with his grandmother's battles with the Pakeha. But at every step Tamatea is thwarted, by deceit, deception and intrigue, and by the woman whose destiny has intersected Riripeti's and his. She is the enigmatic Tiana, his mother, the 'woman of no account'.Mana, power and boldness remain the hallmarks of Ihimaera's style as he negotiates a story of breadth and breathtaking climaxes, combining the passion of The Matriarch with the sheer storytelling ability of Bulibasha, King of the Gypsies.It has been worth the wait.