WINNER OF THE JANN MEDLICOTT ACORN PRIZE FOR FICTION
WINNER OF THE MITOQ BEST FIRST BOOK OF FICTION
WINNER OF THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL

aue

1. (verb) to cry, howl, groan, wail, bawl.
2. (interjection) expression of astonishment or distress.

Taukiri was born into sorrow. Aue can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father's. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to a violent home.

But Taukiri's brother, Arama, is braver than he looks, and he has a friend, and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sadness.

This bestselling multi-award-winning novel is both raw and sublime, introducing a compelling new voice in New Zealand fiction.


'There is something so assured and flawless in the delivery of the writing voice that is almost like acid on the skin.'
-Tara June Winch, co-judge of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction 2020

'"Aue" is the Maori word for a howling cry, and this layered work weaves a striking tapestry of fierce love and unflinching violence worthy of its poetic title ... Manawatu excels at enriching her characters and story lines with heartbreaking detail ... A devastating, beautifully written tale imbued with Maori culture and language.'
-Gregory Brown, The New York Times

'The word aue is a Maori verb to cry, howl, groan, wail, bawl and yes, yes, yes, yes and yes, you may do all of these things when reading Becky Manawatu's incredibly assured debut novel. Small word, big emotions - and the perfect title for a book that deals in deceptively simple narration and oceanic feeling ... Manawatu elicits compassion from ugly places, and threads through redemptive spiritual beauty, and innocence, too, via alternating voices.'
-Lucy Clark, The Guardian