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Antony Millen
Category:
Literary Fiction
Publisher: Maple Koru Publishing
ISBN-10: 047324893X
Type: Fiction
Pages: 234
Copyright: May 2013
ISBN-13: 9780473248949
Price: $7.79 (eBook)
A Canadian man searches for his long-lost brother in New Zealand in order to bring him home to their dying mother.
Conrad Murrihy's mother is dying and she has one final wish: to see her eldest son Francis who has not contacted home in two years.
In a race to find him and return home to his mother, Conrad travels far from his native Nova Scotia, Canada and through the heart of rural North Island, New Zealand following leads to Taumarunui, Auckland, Whanganui, Ratana and, finally, on an epic journey up the Whanganui River.
Along the way, Conrad discovers his brother has been living multiple lives - as a Catholic brother, a spoken-word poet, a suspected criminal and a new kind of poropiti for iwi Maori.
Conrad's search forces him to confront issues in his own life - issues of commitment, family loyalties, reconciliation with the past and openness to future possibilities - brought on by his encounters with the people, places and spirits of New Zealand.
In this, his first novel, Antony Millen explores the complex spiritual fabric of New Zealand while still telling a simple story of a man trying to mend his family.
Excerpt
He opens the gate to the cemetery and I step in, feeling uncomfortable but invited at least. He refastens the clasp of the metal gate behind me and walks along the front row of graves. Some graves seem to sit above ground encased in large white sepulchers.
"Your brother came to live here for a time. I understand he knew someone in the pa who works at the prison—an idealistic young man by the name of Rawiri. Rawiri has since left Ratana for work in Palmerston North. Rawiri introduced your brother to the story of Ratana, Te Mangai, the mouthpiece of God. Do you know anything of our prophet?"
I tell him I don't. "Can you tell me where he went after he left here?"
The old man walks slowly toward the back of the cemetery, pausing at every second or third grave site to look at the headstones. Stopping, he says, "Here lay two brothers, twins. They died a long time ago, but I still remember them well. In fact, I went to school with them. I even kissed the same girl as Hamuera, the better looking of the two. Time has gone quickly and they have gone too. Where do you say they have gone?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," I say, cautious not to offend this man who may yet help me.
"When one leaves a place, they must go to a new place. When one lives a life, one must consider at times what that place is. What do you say about this?"
"Well, I don't really know what to say. Whatever I say would just be guesswork. I would most likely be wrong."
"Te Mangai teaches, 'Unite unto God and then you shall unite unto the land.'
He stops at another grave marked with more plastic flowers and a bright orange windmill and says," This is my mother's body. She left this place in 1918 during the flu epidemic. I miss her. Would you say she has gone to a new place or would you say something else to me?" He looks at me with sadness and expectancy.
What can I say? "I guess I would say she has gone to a new place."
He nods his head. "So has your brother."
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