Legacy - Whiti Hereaka

Published by Huia Publishers: Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, 2018.

Riki is the great-great-grandson of his namesake, Te Ariki, a soldier who fought in the First World War with the Maori Contingent. Riki lives in Wellington with his mother, who is obsessed with the story of Te Ariki, and has been listening to cassette recordings of interviews that Te Ariki's grandson Alamein made with Te Ariki in the 1970s. When Riki is unexpectedly hit by a bus while taking Te Ariki's diary to his mother, he wakes up in 1915 in Egypt, where he becomes mistaken for his ancestor. Now Riki must figure out why he is here, what happened to Te Ariki, and how - if at all - he can get home to the present.

This is a great set-up for a story that examines racism, history, what defines a Maori, free will vs destiny, and the different ways in which New Zealanders can view their history. Hereaka has created an authentically 21st century voice with Riki, and is able to use her protagonist to analysis both the good and bad points of how our nation was, as well as how it is. 

I really enjoyed Legacy. It might be fractionally too long for a text whose target audience (potentially) is teenagers, and it does end somewhat abruptly (though effectively) but it is well-told, even if I figured out the 'mystery' element a bit quicker than Riki himself.

Downsides: there is a bit of bad language throughout - not excessive, but it is there - and the one religious character does become quite negatively stereotyped as obsessively religious, although it is also fairly important for the plot that they do so.

An interesting, well written book that has also introduced me to a new Kiwi author (though it is her third novel, apparently). One I would consider using with my students.

Completed 4 April 2022.



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