Nine To Noon Lauren Keenan's latest historical fiction work
May 5, 2026
Lauren Keenan, a New Zealand historical fiction writer known for exploring whakapapa, discusses her new novel The Other Catherine. She talks about dual timelines, researching convict ships and ancestors, and writing within Te Atiawa history. She also reflects on normalising Māori stories, balancing accuracy with narrative, and her burst-writing process.
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Keita's Lifelong Change And Ancestral Shadow
- Keita is a Māori matriarch recently widowed who has lived through seismic change after marrying a whaler in 1828.
- She questions her identity and lives in the shadow of Catherine, her husband's mother whom she never met but was named after.
Catherine's Convict Voyage From Dublin
- Catherine is an Irish convict transported from Dublin to New South Wales in 1793, facing a claustrophobic, violent voyage with mutinies and real historical incidents.
- Keenan based ship events on archival research of convict ships and transformed dramatic elements into the narrative.
Using A Century Gap To Track Societal Shifts
- Keenan wanted to show how individuals and societies respond to rapid change by choosing two historical timelines a century apart.
- Examples include Keita never seeing a horse or potato in her youth, then later being disconnected from grandchildren in a different world.
