Backwaters (Emma Ling Sidnam, Text)

Backwaters by Emma Ling Sidnam is the 2022 winner of the distinguished Michael Gifkins Text Prize for an Unpublished Novel by a New Zealand writer. Drawing on themes of identity, belonging and otherness, Backwaters is set in Auckland and tells the story of Laura, an aspiring writer. Dealing with a bout of 20-something ennui, Laura struggles to identify with her fourth-generation Asian New Zealander heritage. When asked to take on a writing project about Chinese New Zealander experiences, she is at first reluctant. But when a family secret is uncovered, Laura’s beloved grandfather presents her with the journals of his grandfather, Ken. The process of translating and retelling Ken’s story becomes the catalyst for an exciting journey of self-discovery and connection. Ken’s story, retold in Laura’s words in alternating chapters, provides an interesting perspective into early Chinese migrant life in Aotearoa. The ongoing story of his family and the generational loosening of cultural ties helps us understand Laura’s loss of identity. As Laura reflects, ‘Some people let the past evaporate from them, I always try to remember or at least try not to forget.’ A fourth-generation Asian New Zealander and celebrated slam poet, Sidnam is ‘passionate about representation and ensuring that all voices are heard’, which is evident in this coming-of-age novel that will appeal to readers of Alice Pung’s Unpolished Gem.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Megan O'Brien is a bookseller with over 20 years experience. Megan currently resides in Wellington and works at independent bookshop Unity Books. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews