Customer Reviews

One Night Out Stealing (Talanoa)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the author of "Once Were Warriors" comes another gritty tale set in New Zealand's underclass. This book focuses exclusively on two thieves Jube (white), and Sonny (half-Maori) who also share an apartment. Their miserable existence sitting around a nasty bar full of ex-cons is rendered in full detail as they drink through the weekly welfare check. Jube is a insecure loudmouth of the kind that likes to drive his muscle car real fast and brag about everything. Sonny is more of a thinker and feels trapped and out of place. One night they rob a fancy house and score big, changing both their lives. It's a pretty nasty read, and gets a little tiresome at times as the duo move through a familiar cycle of hopelessness. Duff strings the two men's conversation together into single blocks so that who's saying what is a little confusing at times. Reminiscent in some ways of the Australian film "Romper Stomper."

I really liked this book - it's about two men who rob a house one night and it changes their lives forever. Duff is a great writer. Incidentally 'Errol' who wrote the review above this is actually talking about another Duff book called 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted' (it's the sequel to 'Once Were Warriors' - it's really good - don't be put off by the cheesy title or the fact that it's a sequel) - I guess Errol got the titles mixed up - because 'One Night Out Stealing' is NOT the sequel to 'Once Were Warriors'.

In case you didn't read what I said about Alan Duff's previous book "Once Were Warriors", I shall point out again that I am not an Alan Duff fan, not by half!
This new book was a far better read than "Once Were Warriors". Sadly though it was also transparently obvious that "One Night Out Stealing" was written with the movie sequel in mind. Thus Jake is redeemed, he is proven to be innocent of the rape of his daughter and the rape is vaguely attributed to Uncle Bully to fit the movie.
There is also another of those charming deliberate factual errors of which Mr Duff is so fond; although this one is far less important than getting the Maori Land Wars and the Treaty of Waitangi `round the wrong way (many NZers at rec.sport.rugby might dispute that).
It's a subtle error this one. In a conversation with the (unrealistically English-squire-like) Mr Trambert, Jake discusses the drop kick by Zinzan Brook in the 1995 World Cup final against south Africa - but the goal was actually against the English in the semi. The irony being that the English kicking game had disposed of the Aussies in the quarter by a drop goal you see.
Well spotted huh? Do I win a prize for spotting these Mr Duff?