Book Review: The Mires

The Mires
by Tina Makereti
Review by Alex A

Set in near-future Aotearoa, amid a growing climate disaster which has created millions of refugees from the global north, the story centres around three mothers living in a set of housing units on the Kāpiti Coast. They live on the former swampland of Te Ātiawa, developed and built upon to give the appearance of solidity – but we are reminded throughout that water still flows just under the surface.

The three women hail from different backgrounds and belief systems. Keri is Māori, and raising her two children solo, trying to get ahead, learn her reo, and be present for her kids. Janet is Pākehā and also raised her kids alone, but has been hardened by her experience – she is intolerant of difference, telling herself she’s simply being “honest”. Sera has recently arrived in Aotearoa as a climate refugee from nebulous origins, with her husband and young daughter.

When Janet’s adult son, Conor, arrives to stay with his mother, Keri’s teenage daughter Wai senses something dark and dangerous in him. The uneasy peace of this small community and the entire country hangs in the balance of what comes next.

Makereti’s writing is propulsive, yet sensuous; forceful in its fluidity, like the wetlands at its centre. The book asks urgent questions of its reader, while letting the story play out through real, relatable characters. Questions of community, alienation, xenophobia, shared history and belonging are gracefully explored through Makereti’s assured prose. Despite serious themes, this was a refreshing and luminous read – descriptions of the natural world, history, and character’s inner voices are related with sensitivity and vivacity.

Ideal for readers who enjoyed Fiona Farrell’s The Deck or Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood.