Lit in Translation

The Mires

The Mires

Tina Makereti (born 1973)

English editions

Written in English
  • The Mires

    Footnote Press · United Kingdom · 4 June 2026 · Paperback · 320 pages

  • The Mires

    Ultimo Press · Australia · 3 July 2024 · Paperback · 320 pages

  • The Mires

    HarperCollins · United States · 23 September 2025 · Paperback · 320 pages

  • The Mires

    Footnote Press · United Kingdom · 25 September 2025 · Hardcover

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Three women who became mothers in different decades and on different continents end up living side by side in a block of flats by the sea in near-future Aotearoa. Keri is raising four-year-old Walty and teenage Wairere alone. Wairere is an unusual, gifted girl who can sense what both people and ghosts are thinking, and she is pulled towards the wetland. Sera and her family have escaped ecological ruin in Europe. Next door is Janet, a Pākehā woman with views on everything. When Janet's grown son Conor comes home unannounced, head newly shaved and fresh ink on his skin that unsettles everyone, nobody guesses how extreme he has become except Wairere, who feels the threat, and senses the swamp under their homes waiting.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form
Novel
Length
320 pages in the original
Genres
Speculative, Politics (assigned by AI)
Set in
New Zealand
First published
2024 by Ultimo Press
Author's age
51 when first published
ISBN

9781761153693 (Ultimo Press, Australia)

9780063399365 (HarperCollins, United States)

9781804441909 (Footnote Press, United Kingdom)

9781804441930 (Footnote Press, United Kingdom)