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Notes from judge Amy McDaid

No Small Thing, set in South Auckland, is a moving, tender story, skilfully told through the point of view of a young Samoan woman, Kenese.

Kenese straddles two worlds, living Fa’a Samoa at home and church, while moulding a second identity to fit into her palagi workplace. When word gets out from the church gossips that she has a boyfriend, plans are made for him to meet her parents for Sunday to’ona’i.

Kenese’s conflicting emotions of love and shame are well-rendered, with a poignant closing scene that gently underlines the pain of Pasifika identity struggles in the diaspora.

A great read that stood out for its clean prose, the sharp dialogue that effectively captured cultural inflections, and its ability to tackle a sensitive topic with grace and honesty.

New Zealand author and short story judge Amy McDaid, above, picked out Elsie Uini’s sharp dialogue, grace and honesty. 2021 marked the 38th year of the Sunday Star-Times short story competition. In association with the Milford Foundation and Penguin Random House the prize pool this year was $9000, with $6000 awarded to the overall open category winner.

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en-nz

2022-01-16T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-16T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281921661410797

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