Times Like These

A quietly astonishing collection of personal essays from one of New Zealand's most exciting new voices. Childhood, family, and death; anxiety and release; grief and the hope of new life: these are some of the themes that underpin Michelle Langstone's debut collection. Michelle is interested in the way the concept of identity is shaken during a major event, and in the feeling world at its most raw and intimate. These essays speak to one another across a timeline, examining her world before the death of her father, and life after his passing, when she recalibrates the shape of a universe without him. Essays on acting, fertility and IVF, and intergenerational love round out a collection that is full of candor and humor. Tender, poignant and moving, these intimate essays are perfectly formed and offer a shimmering portrait of the human condition.