1985: A Novel
ABOUT
THE BOOK
It’s 1985 and Obi’s on the cusp of teenagehood, after a childhood marked by poverty, dysfunctional family dynamics, (dis)organised crime and violence. His dad’s delusional, his mum’s sick, the Rainbow Warrior just exploded, and it’s time for Obi to grow up and get out of the spacies parlour.
When he and his best mate Al discover a map leading to unknown riches, Obi wonders if this windfall could be the thing that turns his family’s fortunes around. Instead, he’s thrown into an adventure where the stakes are a lot higher than the games he loves.
An electric novel about life in a multi-cultural, counter-cultural part of Auckland pre-gentrification. 1985 is an adventure story with a local flavour, a coming-of-age story for the underdogs, the disenfranchised and the dreamers.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
We have chosen this novel because it has all the hallmarks of a great literary novel. ‘1985’ is a coming of age story. Its characters are well formed and the story depicts the lives and struggles of working class people in a very relatable way, providing an authentic portrayal of life in Auckland, New Zealand in the year 1985. (Dunedin Public Libraries)