This book is set in a world (yes, world, more than place) I don’t usually come across, not event through books, so it was the perfect choice for A More Diverse Universe.
The Whale Rider is about the Māori tribe of Whangara, in particular the relationship between eight-year-old Kahu and her great-grandfather Koro, the chieftain. In each generation a boy is chosen to lead the tribe, so it was a big disappointment for Koro when his first great-grandchild was a girl.
Since Kahu’s birth Koro is on a mission to find the tribe’s future leader outside his closest family, which makes him blind to every attempt by Kahu to get noticed and loved by him. He also doesn’t notice her mysterious abilities, until the whales come to die in Whangara’s bays…
They swam in brilliant shoals, like rain of glittering dust, through the greestone depth – hapuku, manga, kahawai, tamure, moki, and warehou – herded by shark or mango ururoa.
How beautiful is the Māori language? Not all the book has that many foreign words in one sentence, but the glossary at the end was useful several times.
This is one of those YA books that at first seems simple and sweet but if you think about it long enough becomes complex and sweet. The story alternates between the Whangara family and the story of the whales that are coming towards them. In between you’ll also get snippets of the legend of Whangara tribe’s origins and the reason behind their bond with the whales.
This book stood out to me because the “magical” elements are weaved in in such a subtle way that it made me think twice before actually classifying the book as “fantasy”. Some people told me over Twitter that the movie is even better – do you agree? It entered my list of Favorite Modern Takes on Old Legends.
On the background of Kahu, her great-grandfather and the whales are other stories and events that make this book a great choice for class or bookclub discussion: the rational vs. the irrational, the human vs. the animal, the strength of Māori women, breaking tradition towards an inclusive culture (Kahu being banned from Māori classes because she’s a girl – sniff), racism, etc.
Some people told me that the movie is even better than the book – do you agree? Must get my hands on it soon.
About Witi Ihimaera (from the New Zealand Book Council website)
The first Māori writer to publish both a book of short stories and a novel, Witi Ihimaera considers ‘the world I’m in as being Māori, not European,’ and his fiction develops out of this perspective. He creates imaginative new realities for his readers, drawing from autobiographical experience. In 1996 he also moved to foreground his sexuality, describing Nights in the Gardens of Spain as keeping faith with his gay audience.
He writes new work for opera and his novel, The Whale Rider, has become an internationally successful feature film.
X
X
x
x
***
Other thoughts: Dogear Diary, Care’s Online Bookclub, the Brooke and the Bookish, Buried in Print, Fifty Books Project (yours?)
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 17, 2013 at 9:50 pm
klweston1984
This sounds utterly amazing! I’ve just set myself a challenge to read 30 books before I’m 30, but, if I get chance, I’d like to read this too. Fiction about the beliefs and traditions of other cultures is always enlightening, but this sounds pretty magical too.
November 17, 2013 at 10:14 pm
A.
It sounds pretty amazing! Looking forward for seeing the movie.
November 18, 2013 at 12:10 am
debbierodgers
I haven’t read the book, so I can’t compare, but the movie really is outstanding.
November 18, 2013 at 7:14 pm
Charlie
I haven’t heard of this before, but I’ve read little about Maori culture while finding it very interesting so this is one to look for!
November 18, 2013 at 9:04 pm
fence
I saw the film back in 2003 and really enjoyed it. It’s a book I always meant to read but never got around to picking up.
November 18, 2013 at 10:22 pm
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
I’d never really thought of picking this up before, but now I don’t know how I could resist! It sounds amazing.
November 18, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Amy Brandon
Loved this movie; didn’t know it was a book!
November 19, 2013 at 12:48 am
Teresa
The movie is one of my favorites, but I’ve never read the book.
November 20, 2013 at 2:34 pm
Jenny @ Reading the End
Like so many people commenting here, I’ve seen the movie and not read the book. And the movie’s wonderful. The young actress who stars in the main role is just phenomenal.
November 23, 2013 at 5:13 pm
aartichapati
I agree with all the people who say they loved the movie. It was great! Makes me want to read the book as well.
So sorry for how long it has taken me to come and comment and say THANK YOU for participating in #Diversiverse this year. So glad you found an author who has such a lovely way with words, too.
December 18, 2013 at 7:29 pm
Claire 'Word by Word'
Witi Ihimaera is a wonderful writer and The Whale Rider is a beautiful story. The film is one of my absolute favourites. The young actress Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar for her outstanding performance and actually attended the ceremony although she didn’t win.
I do hope you seek out the film, it is a real gem.