The Intentions Book

2014 Longlist

The Intentions Book is a tender and funny novel about love and communication, and the ways our families shape us.

Morris Goldberg is a man who can’t cry. Semi-retired from his career as a metadata analyst, he lives alone and conducts imaginary conversations with his recently-deceased wife, Sadie. Then news arrives that his daughter Rachel is missing in the bush, with bad weather on the way.

While Morris waits for news, he thinks back over his life, and as memory and dream start to merge, key scenes from his childhood and marriage play out in his imagination and the urgent questions of a lifetime press forward. What happens to us in moments of crisis? Are we capable of change? How can we express our true feelings? How do we survive the endless dance of estrangement and intimacy.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Gigi Fenster was born into a family of five children in South Africa. She did the usual student jobs before studying law, then worked as a law lecturer and construction lawyer before moving to New Zealand. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from the Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University of Wellington, and her short stories have been published in various literary journals in New Zealand and abroad. Her work has been translated into Telugu and published in an Indian daily newspaper. She lives in Wellington with her husband and two daughters. The Intentions Book is her first novel.

Librarian’s Comments

A very original and powerful book about memory and its fragility but also its sweetness. A real favourite of our many book clubs and a book which lingers in the mind – and also in the heart.