- This edition an e-book from Borrowbox through my local library
- Published 30 August 2022, Text Publishing
- ISBN 9781922791023
- Extent 320pp
Synopsis (publisher)
Winner of the 2021 Michael Gifkins Prize, this thrilling debut unravels a series of mysterious child abductions in a small New Zealand town.
Masterton isn’t a big town. The community’s tight, if not always harmonious. So when a child goes missing it’s a big deal for everyone. And when a second kid disappears, the whole town’s holding their own children that little bit tighter.
Lorraine doesn’t have kids, but she has a nephew. She’s holding him a bit tighter, too, because she works for the police, and she knows they don’t have any idea.
Lo’s not a cop, she’s a records clerk. She sits out back among the piles of paper, making connections, remembering things. Working things out that the actual cops don’t want to hear about.
Until the new investigator, Hayes, arrives from Wellington, and realises Lo’s the only person there with answers to any of his questions. Which is just as well—because the clock is running down for the children of the town.
Both a nail-biting thriller and a beautifully written, acutely observed portrait of a community, Paper Cage is the prize-winning debut from young New Zealand novelist Tom Baragwanath.
My Take
Always difficult to write crime fiction set in your home town. The community is concerned with the disappearance of three children and Lorraine knows the clock is ticking.
Themes covered: low socio-economic effects, simmering race relations, gang-related violence and drug and alcohol-fuelled suburban culture. The abducted children are from fragmented families and haven't had the best start in life, but they are loved. Their families are bewildered by what has happened, and the police seem to think their abduction is the result of gang warfare.
Sections of the story are narrated by different points of view, and the style and the language, particularly local idioms, were at times a challenge for the reader.
Lucky Thing by Tom Baragwanath (Text Publishing) is on the longlist for best novel 2026 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
My rating: 4.6
About the author
Tom Baragwanath is originally from Masterton, New Zealand, and now lives in Paris with his young family. His first novel, Paper Cage, was published by Text to international acclaim.
