The Wives of Henry Oades.

by Sue Hui Ong | 3:46 pm 11/07/2010

Author: Johanna Moran Publisher: Harper Press (5/5)

The Wives of Henry Oades is Johanna Moran’s debut novel, and not a bad one to kick off a writing career either. Set in the 1890s, it follows the tale of Henry Oades as he uproots his family from England to Wellington, New Zealand. However, after angering a Maori tribe, Henry finds his home incinerated and his family – his wife Meg, and their four children – abducted. After waiting for years in vain, he finally abandons all hope that his family is alive, and leaves for San Francisco to start anew. But the plot thickens: it turns out that his wife and three of the children are alive! However, their fantasies of a joyful reunion are dashed when they finally track him down and turn up to his new property, only to find him remarried. Hence, the wives – plural – of Henry Oades. The mother of all scandals ensues as the narrow-minded, conservative townsfolk take out their anger on the Oades, and we see this odd family unify and come to understand each other.

The novel is very emotionally charged and what with all the events that go on, it’s no wonder Meg’s character doesn’t just collapse. I really admired her strength to continue, even after all the adversity and the weight of finding out the love of your life was now in love with someone else. Actually most of Moran’s female characters are strong, perhaps hinting at some personal feminist views.

It was also interesting to read the American Moran’s account of the Maori. When I first picked up the book, I thought it had to be Kiwi-written, as how many authors outside New Zealand write about Maori? Moran doesn’t do too bad a job, depicting the tribe as perceived as ‘savages’ by the Europeans, but shows they have some heart when they let the family go. She even managed to slip in some Maori words, like tapu and mana.

All in all, a good read; one for grabbing a mug of hot chocolate and curling up on the couch with.

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