Settlers' Creek (28 page)
Authors: Carl Nixon
Also
by Carl Nixon
The body of a teenage girl is found on the beach in the days leading up to Christmas, 1980. It’s an event that makes a huge impact on all those who live along Rocking Horse Road, which runs through the Spit, a long ‘finger of bone-dry sand’ between the ocean and the estuary. It’s an event that for one hot summer brings together a group of fifteen-year-old boys and then keeps them linked for the rest of their lives. Evolving from Nixon’s celebrated short story, this powerful novel is much more than an intelligently evoked murder mystery. It’s a book about coming of age and loss of innocence, not just for the characters but for New Zealand, as the country turns upon itself during the 1981 Springbok Tour. It examines how early events can influence the rest of our lives, and
probes ideas of community, collective memory and story-telling. Above all, it’s a compelling story, set in a New Zealand we can all recognise.
Carl Nixon is a short-story writer, novelist and playwright. His first book,
Fish ‘n’ Chip Shop Song
and other stories went to number one on the New Zealand bestselling fiction list and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize Best First Book. His debut novel
Rocking Horse Road
saw him described as ‘a major talent’ by
North & South
and was long-listed for the Dublin IMPAC Awards 2009. His writing for theatre includes
The Birthday Boy
and
The Raft
.
A VINTAGE BOOK published by Random House New Zealand
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand
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First published 2010
© 2010 Carl Nixon
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN 978 1 86979 403 3
This book is copyright. Except for the purposes of fair reviewing no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover and text design: Pieta Brenton
Cover image: Mark Smith