There's a deceptively simple scene in Amma, the debut novel of Saraid de Silva, that says much about relationships, family history and all their complex dynamics. The gentle unfolding during a meal of Sri Lankan takeaways reveals (among other insights) that nobody in the family has picked up any culinary skills from Josephina, the Amma of the title: she always shooed everyone out of the kitchen when cooking.
Amma never learnt how to cook from her own mother but she did from Inesh Uncle and Suji Aunty, two siblings she boarded with when she arrived in Colombo in 1968. They gave her a sense of security she never felt from her parents, conveyed through their cooking sessions.
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Roman scandals
Sarah Watt reviews two major titles at this year's Italian Film Festival.
Rising tide
Twenty years on from the foreshore and seabed hikoi, the issues behind it have not subsided.
The balance of Powers
The Naked and Famous star is unashamedly indulgent in his new solo album.
Love, love me Who
New Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa and producer Russell T Davies talk about getting by with a little help from their friends.
Raising the barre
Why acclaimed Kiwi director James Napier Robertson-took on the bruising true story of an American ballerina in Russia.
A dickens of a novel
Historical novel is rich in women characters from all levels of Victorian society - including some from real life.
Parental advisory
A vibrant collection of essays sets out to answer one less-than-simple question: what makes a mother?
Unhappy endings
Leslie Jamison anatomises her broken marriage in a candid new memoir - but who or what was really to blame?
'I am still quite overwhelmed'
Ginette McDonald is good with voices. Now, a new anthology celebrates the long and varied career of the actor who brought us Lynn of Tawa. Just don't call it a valedictory.
A long Trekka north
Almost forgotten in this country, NZ's only homedesigned, mass-produced motor vehicle has a new following in Europe.