{"title":"Vicki Laveau-Harvie","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover the compelling world of Vicki Laveau-Harvie, a remarkable author who captures the intricacies of family dynamics and personal history with profound insight and wit. Her acclaimed work, \u003cem\u003eThe Erratics\u003c\/em\u003e, offers readers a captivating journey through the complexities of familial relationships, particularly focusing on her own experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eVicki Laveau-Harvie's narrative style is both engaging and eloquent, bringing to life the challenges and resilience associated with her family's past. Her writing is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, as she shares her deeply personal story with honesty and warmth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect for enthusiasts of biography and memoir, Vicki Laveau-Harvie's collection is a must-read for those who appreciate poignant storytelling that blends humour with heartfelt reflection. Explore her works to experience a masterfully woven tapestry of life, love, and the enduring connections that define us all.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-erratics-by-vicki-laveau-harvie-9781460758250","title":"The Erratics","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDark, sharp, blackly funny and powerful, this is a memoir wielded as a weapon, with the tightly compressed energy of an explosive device.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e'She has a poet's gift for language, a playwright's sense of drama and a stand-up comic's talent for timing. But perhaps most remarkable is the generosity of spirit with which she writes about family trauma. The book flows with kinetic energy, wit and wisdom. Upon reaching the last page, I found myself turning to the beginning and starting again, not wanting it to end.' — New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a memoir about a dysfunctional family, about a mother and her daughters. But make no mistake. This is like no mother-daughter relationship you know.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Vicki Laveau-Harvie's elderly mother is hospitalised unexpectedly, Vicki and her sister travel to their parents' isolated ranch home in Alberta, Canada, to help their father. Estranged from their parents for many years, Vicki and her sister are horrified by what they discover on their arrival. For years, Vicki's mother has camouflaged her manic delusions and savage unpredictability, and over the decades, she has managed to shut herself and her husband away from the outside world, systematically starving him and making him a virtual prisoner in his own home. Vicki and her sister have a lot to do, in very little time, to save their father. And at every step, they have to contend with their mother, whose favourite phrase during their childhood was: \u003cem\u003e'I'll get you and you won't even know I'm doing it.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA ferocious, sharp, darkly funny, and wholly compelling memoir of families, the pain they can inflict, and the legacy they leave, \u003cem\u003eThe Erratics\u003c\/em\u003e has the tightly coiled, compressed energy of an explosive device—it will take your breath away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2019 Stella Prize, winner of the 2018 Finch Memoir Prize, shortlisted for the 2019 NSW Premier's Literary Awards.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'If someone had told me this manuscript was by a young Margaret Attwood or Alice Munro, I wouldn't have been surprised. The bleak beauty of the Canadian landscape set against this wry memoir of a daughter's journey with her sister through their parents' decline into ill-health and dementia is an extraordinary read.' — Candida Baker\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Erratics\u003c\/em\u003e grabbed me by the throat and never let go. Its sharp vinegary tone added a thrilling and bracing note to this portrayal of an extreme dysfunctional family. The writing has a visceral quality as well as a terrific sense of timing, irony and place—an unfamiliar and remote location far removed from Australia, but the author's tug back to Australia from this cold, inhospitable setting adds another dimension of contrast. There is a universality to the story, of ageing parents and conflicted children grappling with uncomfortable responsibilities. I loved it.' — Caroline Baum, author, \u003cem\u003eOnly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46533022777580,"sku":"9781460758250","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2063183482708.jpg?v=1749359718"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/vicki-laveau-harvie.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}