Author(s): Julian Novitz

New Zealand Literature

At 11.06 pm, on 6 September 2001, eighteen year old Shane stands near the house of his girlfriend's father, staring at the hilt of a sword stabbed into the ground. The next morning, his best friend Will is sitting in a police station, trying to explain the tangled relationship between him, Shane and Shane's girlfriend Eileen.

Ten years later, Eileen is living in a distant city under an assumed name. As she faces the tenth anniversary of the murder that re-defined her life, she is confronted by a young woman who claims to be the little sister that Eileen abandoned, all those years ago ...

And, on the morning of 7 September 2001, a failed teacher and father wakes up on his couch, unaware of what has transpired the night beforeand that he alone holds the key to these past and future events.

How much do we know about the people closest to us? How much do we know about ourselves? Clever, creepy and compelling, Little Sister explores ideas of absent fathers, motivation and identity, while building to an unexpected climax.