The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke

Tina Makereti

‘A historical love letter to London, a coming-of-age story, a love story’ Stella Duffy

SHORTLISTED: New Zealand Heritage Book Awards

LONGLISTED: Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

LONGLISTED: International Dublin Literary Award

James Poneke is a young Maori orphan, raised by missionaries, with a burning desire to travel and explore the world. When an English artist on a tour of New Zealand invites James to return home with him, the boy eagerly accepts and agrees to become a living exhibit at the artist’s London show.

By day, James dresses in full tribal outfit, being stared at, prodded and examined by paying visitors. By night, he is free to explore the city, but anything can happen to a young New Zealander on the savage streets of Victorian London and James is unprepared for the wonders, dangers and unearthed secrets that await.

The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke is an unforgettable work of historical fiction in the spirit of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry.

‘A riveting vision of the world seen from the inside out. The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke is a gutsy, searing and totally absorbing read. I loved it all the way’ Fiona Kidman

‘Made streets I’ve walked a thousand times seem new and strange’ Damian Barr

‘Hemi has a voice that redresses some of the air-brushed history of empire but more than anything his novel is a fascinating coming of age’ NB Magazine

‘The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke is many things: part unsparing colonial reckoning; part fraught coming-of-age memoir; part PT Barnum-inflected tale of spectacle, showmanship and the picaresque’ NZ Listener

‘Suggestive and thoughtful as well as being a very compelling story’ Louise O’Brien, Radio New Zealand

Paperback: 256pp

Published: Lightning (September 2019)

ISBN: 9781785631528