With this first kaleidoscopic two-voice novel, Moetai Brotherson follows in the footsteps of committed Aboriginal writers such as Chantal T. Spitz and Titaua Peu.
He didn’t ask for any of this. The signs, the birds, and that woman who’s been following him since birth. He had demanded nothing from society but the possibility of living in peace, him, the mute child. He had expected nothing from men other than their trust and friendship, he who was struggling in this straitjacket. And this first name, Moanam, which means nothing… Moana is the ocean, so why this “m” too much, like a bad end announced to the story of his life? The Other had not foreseen that meeting this kid would take him so far away from himself, or from the idea he might have of it. He should have been able to control the madness that fills all space like a fluid. But he’s not crazy! No, he can’t be crazy. He can’t be…
Then how do you explain it? To accept the truth is to risk inviting madness. Be careful. Because this “Other”, it could be you…
