BDTH! The Foveaux Fisherman Facebook page
posts this acronym to advise Rakiura Stewart Islanders to ‘batten down the
hatches’ before severe weather events. New Zealand’s southernmost librarian
Maudie Sanderson reckons this warning could be applied to her life in general
these days.
Haunted by
a parrot and falsely accused of soliciting d**k pics, Maudie navigates a minefield
of rabbit holes and mental health crises as she struggles to be a fit and proper
person in a pandemic-hungover world. Sidelined by buggered knees, the avid
runner needs projects to maintain sanity.
Island
life keeps her busy. Maudie is drawn into an axe cult, scraps with the
preschool teacher, discusses The Epic of Gilgamesh in a jailhouse book
club, and mis-manages a community astronomy course. When a shocking crime
wreaks havoc on her family,
she dons her deerstalker cap and dives into the investigation.
All the
while, Maudie feels a growing kinship with the ancient desert king Gilgamesh, as
the words from 5,000-year-old clay tablets guide her through life’s myriad mysteries.
This unconventional and darkly humorous whodunnit explores island life, the sandwich generation, grief after losing a pet, and a runner’s post-injury journey back to the joy of running. A book for readers who appreciate libraries, pub quizzes, artichokes, poetry, splitting wood, native New Zealand birds, the eroticism of dictionary stands, and contemporary takes on ancient stories.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 303
Imprint: Small New Zealand Publisher
Publication date: 08/01/2026
