Whalerider

An unexpected gem with a unique combination of cultural background on Maori-tradition, (Maori) myth, modern fairy tale and many more is what „The Whale Rider“ turned out to be for me. There was not much I had knowingly perceived about New Zealand, so when a book club challenge came along to read such a small book of only 144 pages – what might I lose? And that decision was made despite some profound aversion of mine to anything getting even close to „fantasy fiction“.

The story does include lots of myth along with lots of mythological elements which I rather really liked – I can go with myth, to me that has nothing to do with fantasy, I just mention as some readers might have different „no-go areas“. And 144 pages turned out to be no small task to read in this context – simply because the whole story is so rich I felt compelled to stop reading many times, literally stand back and consider. No wonder the book is often read at schools given the broad variety of tasks for interpretation on various levels. Still, even for the grown-up reader, those tasks come easily, rather force themselves upon you while reading: the story is about gender and family roles, traditions vs. modern life; cultural differences, clashes, prejudice and expectations; personal integrity and roots; family, society and individuals. The language is rich, but not hard to decipher like when the mythological founder Kahutia throws his spears which represent his live-giving sources or the heart-wrenching comment that „Under these conditions, the love which Kahu received from [her grandfather] Koro Apirana was the sort that dropped off the edge of the table, like breadcrumbs after everybody else has had a big meal.“ P 36f.

There is a constant change between first-person narrator – little Kahu’s uncle telling her story – and the third person usage for the portions of myth and about the whales which, again, demands for consideration about parallels and symbols in a very tantalising way. Author Witi Ihimaera uses Maori language in abundance – the translation follows in the next sentence (I had not been sure at first, so I checked some phrases). This and the proper names force the non-Maori experienced reader to both plunge into the culture and keeps the concentration high to not get lost – so in a whole, I ended up having been given the rare experience of interpreting myself through the text without that back-to-school feeling of having been forced to do it, the immersion comes rather natural. Go with the waves! Let it be done!

Autor: Witi Ihimaera