A New Zealand classic, this novel is a raw and powerful portrayal of Maori in New Zealand society. Alan Duff's groundbreaking first novel is one of the most talked - about books ever published in New Zealand and is the basis of a major New Zealand film and won the Hubert Church PEN Best First Book Award. This hard - hitting story is a frank and uncompromising portrait in which everyone is a victim, until the strength and vision of one woman transcends brutality and leads the way to a new life.