Damien Wilkins: 5 books

Amy is a store detective at Cutty's, the oldest and grandest department store in the country. She's good at her job. She can read people and catch them. But Cutty's is closing down. Amy has a young baby, an ailing mother, and a large mortgage. She also has a past as an activist.This compelling novel...

It's Wellington, now. Acoustic Engineer Michael Stirling's old life is gone. He's on the dating scene, learning te reo Maori, living in an upmarket apartment complex, and visiting his father who has dementia. Wearing his online dating disguise, Michael meets Chrissie, the widowed mother of a young...

The story of Thomas Hardy’s death told by his housemaid Nellie. 1928. As Thomas Hardy lies on his death bed at his Dorset home, Max Gate, a tug-of-war is taking place over his legacy ... and the eventual fate of his mortal remains. What counts for more: the wishes of his family and dutiful second...

Witty and acute, this daring collection of stories is a sharp-eyed look at modern relationships and the pressures and delights of everyday life. With control and humor, this ensemble of fables, satires, notes to self, snapshots, and vignettes from one of New Zealand's finest authors offers beautiful yet disquieting views of contemporary living in easy, conversational tones.

Paddy Thompson, speech therapist, newspaper columnist, is fifty and happy. His dark period is behind him: a failed marriage, a career crisis. Now he lives with Helena ('the best thing that ever happened to him'), helps kids with their speech problems, and has moved his mother into the next-door apartment....