| Author/Contributor(s): | Vincent, Laura |
| Publisher: | Pushkin Press |
| Date: | 12/1/2026 |
| Binding: | Paperback |
| Condition: | NEW |
Shortlisted for New Zealand's premier literary prize and perfect for fans of Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss and Emma Straub’s This Time Tomorrow
Set against the backdrop of a hilariously bleak holiday season, the fiercely protective women of the Gordon family gather for a Christmas they will never forget. They drive each other to distraction, but always know when to offer a stiff glass of whiskey or a shoulder to lean on.
Rita, the 50-something baby of the family, has arrived with a cancer diagnosis she can no longer run from. But before she can break the news, the family’s indomitable 102-year-old matriarch quietly passes away, turning the holiday into an impromptu wake.
As the gathering unfolds, Rita drifts between a chaotic present and the ghosts of the past, reflecting on her modern Indigenous identity, her mother’s lifelong queer romance, and the community of women who came before her. Fusing a contemporary perspective with a rich narrative voice that sounds almost antique, she begins to reckon with what her diagnosis means for the people she loves.
Uncovering a history of queer families hiding in plain sight within rural spaces, Hoods Landing features an unforgettable cast of elderly lesbians, "twins" who are a year apart, a long-lost lover from Venice, and a lineage of family dogs named Roger. It is a deeply moving, sharply funny novel about the imperfect bonds that hold us together.
Fusing the detailed observation of Greta & Valdin with an abundance of heart, this acclaimed debut is an intimate mirror for our changing world and a word-of-mouth sensation for its rare blend of biting wit and domestic tenderness.