SUE YOUNGER
“Then she stops in the road and looks back at you, to see what you’re going to do next.
And that’s it. Just like that.
Your life, ruined.”
A beautiful New Zealand summer.
An ugly past that won’t stay buried.
Paediatric surgeon Claire Bowerman has reluctantly returned to Auckland from London. Calm, rational and in control, she loves delicately repairing her small patients’ wounds. Tragically, wounds sometimes made by the children’s own families.
Yossi wants to marry Claire. He thinks they’ve come to the safest place on earth, worlds away from the violence he knew growing up. He revels in the glorious summer, the idyllic islands of the gulf.
But Roimata, Claire’s fifteen-year-old daughter, is full of questions. Why is Claire so secretive about her past? Why won’t she talk to the man who could solve the mystery that dominated her childhood? All Claire wants to do is run.
This is a novel about a woman caught between the past and the present. And about her need to keep everybody safe. Especially herself.
“I’d defy anyone to discard it without getting to the end. It’s closely observed, and vivid.”
Michael Gifkins, Literary Agent
‘it’s a compelling read, tackling tough family issues with authority and originality.’
NZ Listener
“a page turner, and a good one…”
Sunday Star times
“The descriptive nature of the Auckland weather, Jervois Road cafes, Waiheke Island bush, the Bay of Plenty marae and even the snippets of music put you right in the moment in a New Zealand summer … At the heart of this novel and through all the storylines is a sense of identity and belonging that can only be brought about by family and love.”
Booknotes Unbound, New Zealand Book Council
A New Zealand Top Ten Bestseller
Nielsen BookScan Bestsellers list, August 2016
About Sue
Sue Younger was a television documentary maker for twenty years. Her films won several awards, including Best Documentary in the Film and Television Awards (Learning New Stuff) and a Media Peace Prize (Autism – Life Among Strangers).
Sue gave up television directing in order to follow a long-held desire to write fiction. She gained a Masters in Creative Writing at AUT. After completing her first draft of Days Are Like Grass, Sue was awarded a mentorship with award-winning writer Rachael King by the New Zealand Society of Authors. Sue has won the North & South short, short story prize in 2014 with her story, Ninja, and was a finalist in the Kobo Prize, 2014.
Sue is available to interview; please contact her Publicist.
Listen to a radio interview with Sue
Originally broadcast on Plains FM, August 2016
Jump to 15:42 to hear the segment with Sue
CONTACT
All enquires please use the contact details or form below
For media queries, review and giveaway copies, extracts and interviews:
Karen McKenzie, Publicist
Lighthouse PR
+64 (0)27 693 9044
karen@lighthousepr.co.nz
Days Are Like Grass is published by:
Eunoia Publishing
+64 (0)21 0880 0419
eunoia@eunoiapublishing.com
NZ booksellers or libraries wishing to stock Days Are Like Grass can order copies from:
PDL (Publishers Distribution Limited)
+64 (0)9 828 2999
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