Chris Reed reviews You Are Here by Whiti Hereaka and Peata Larkin for NZ Booklovers:
‘In You Are Here, Whiti Hereaka and Peata Larkin craft a deeply resonant and formally ambitious meditation on belonging, identity, and the interplay between words and visual language. As the sixth book in Massey University Press’s Kōrero series, this collaboration between the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize-winning writer and the esteemed artist explores the Fibonacci number sequence as a structuring principle, creating a spiralling textual and artistic experience that immerses the reader in its layered narrative.
Hereaka’s prose unwinds in a tightly controlled yet fluid pattern, expanding towards the centre of the book before contracting back, ultimately ending with the same words that opened the text. This meticulous mirroring is not merely a stylistic choice but an invitation to reread, to reflect, and to experience a transformation in understanding.
Larkin’s contributions are no less intricate or evocative. Her precise, geometric drawings reference tāniko and whakairo, as well as tukutuku and weaving patterns, forging a visual dialogue with the text that is both subtle and powerful. Her lush silk works add further depth, making the book not only an intellectual experience but a tactile and aesthetic one. As Hereaka’s words spiral in and out of themselves, Larkin’s images form their own entrancing rhythm, reinforcing the themes of connection, whakapapa, and return.
The title itself—You Are Here—suggests an interrogation of place and selfhood, themes that run deeply throughout the book. The phrase, so familiar from maps and directional markers, takes on layered meanings as Hereaka explores childhood landscapes, family histories, and the sometimes uneasy relationship between past and present. The second-person narration invites the reader into this experience, making them a participant in the journey rather than a passive observer. The result is a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.’
Read the rest of the review here.
