NZ author Meg Mason just landed a huge US film deal

Author (woman) looking off-camera; cover of her novel Sorrow and Bliss

Ockhams-longlisted novel Sorrow and Bliss is set to be a film and we at The Spinoff Review of Books could not be more excited.  From the press release, which we got our mitts on first due to our abject and enduring public love for this novel: “New Regency has acquired the film and television rights … Read more

Revealed: the 2021 Ockhams finalists – who should win and who’s been slighted

A rooster crowing against a blue sky

At 5am today, cock’s crow, the embargo lifted on the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlist. Here are the books in the race, followed by thoughts from poetry editor Chris Tse and books editor Catherine Woulfe. A shortlist of four books in each category will be announced March 3, with winners announced during a ceremony … Read more

Maybe she is the void: A review of game-changing novel Sorrow and Bliss

rear view of woman leaning head against wall

Jean Sergent reviews an exceptional new novel about mental illness, labels, and lovability. It is strange, to love and be loved, when you are unsure of your reality. An emotional uncanny valley opens up in front of you and you push on, staying alive, putting one foot in front of the other, hoping that the … Read more

A gold tickle of toi-toi

An essay about leaving New Zealand, and finding it again via Janet Frame.  A quick note from our books editor, Catherine Woulfe: Meg Mason grew up in Foxton and Palmerston North. She’s a journalist – she lives in Sydney, and writes for places like The New Yorker, Vogue and GQ – and she’s just released … Read more