The Other Catherine

Lauren Keenan's 'The Other Catherine' is a historical fiction novel structured in dual narratives set a century apart, exploring the lives of Keita, a Māori matriarch in 1893, and Catherine, an Irish convict transported in 1793.

The book examines themes of identity, family stories, cultural change, and the ways personal and collective histories overlap across generations.

Keenan draws on meticulous historical research and her own whakapapa to portray societal transformations in New Zealand, including encounters between Māori and Pākehā, and the convict experience.

The narrative interrogates how memory and storytelling shape understanding of ancestors and highlights the duty of care an author has when depicting historical peoples.

Published by Penguin, it continues Keenan's focus on mainstreaming New Zealand and Māori stories in contemporary literature.