The Paua Tower

Random House New Zealand
coming in 2006

A Tarot-reading Frenchwoman and a paua-shell memorial to a dead soldier play an important role in Coral Atkinson’s next novel.

Set in a central North Island town during the 1930s Depression, The Paua Tower explores the relationships between a group of people, struggling to survive and make sense of a bitter time. It is the story of unemployed activist Vic Cowan and his sweetheart Stella Morgan, who must save herself; it tells of the disabled bank manager Jack Baldwin, who sees visions, and Roland Crawford, the doubting clergyman. Faith is lost and found, corruption is rife and innocence destroyed, but through it all, love blossoms and hope endures.

This is a novel set in New Zealand at a pivotal moment in our history. It is about how we once were, or might have been.