Rita considered the dead. Shut her eyes. Rolled their names around her brain. Stacked each person in order like folded laundry, warm and crisp from the sun. She wondered how her name would sound amongst them.

In the rural reaches of Auckland, the women of the eclectic Gordon family gather for Christmas. They may push each other's buttons, but know precisely when to offer tea (or a tipple).

Rita, the 50-year-old baby of the family, is planning to tell them she has cancer. Drifting between past and present, she considers the lives of women in their community and reckons with what it all means for her future and her family.

Featuring elderly lesbians, twins who aren't twins, and several dogs named Roger, Hoods Landing is about shoddy pasts, ambiguous futures and the imperfect bonds that tie family together.

What readers are saying...

'I wanted to weep that it was over and I'd have to leave the world of these characters!'

'The perfect balance of whimsical and weird, beautiful and warm'

'I was surprised in the best way with every twist in the story'

'If you like family drama, and dramatic families, I'm sure you will enjoy reading this'

'Quirky and playful. A delightful comfort read that's full of heart'

"It's a tremendous family drama; operatic in scope, intimately detailed, deeply funny, and so real it scratches a familiar itch" - The Spinoff

"Quirky and playful, with a gently self-deprecating Kiwi humour and a dash of romantic sizzle. A delightful comfort read that's full of heart" - Scorpio Books