Books of the Aro Valley

Just before Mom got here, I learned that Danyl McLauchlan, the dad of one of the children I teach, was launching his second book, set here in Wellington, specifically in the Aro Valley, which is near where I work. He and his wife invited me to the book launch at a local book store, which I attended the night before Mom got here. Danyl is a quiet person in general, and so I wasn't expecting the abundance of clever and confident humour in his speech at the launch. I had already decided to read the book, but his speech exponentially increased my anticipation. I purchased the first book at the launch, and my friend and colleague Jess bought the second one, so we could trade off.

I love reading books that are set in places I've been or lived (and visiting places that I already know from books). I mentioned this to Danyl at the book launch, and he said, "Oh, have you been to the Aro Valley?" Like the smooth, non-awkward person that I am, I replied, "Erm... well... no. I guess I just meant Wellington." He explained that the Aro Valley has its own, unique character and feel to it, which is a vital part of the book, so I should go and check it out. Which, of course, I did.

Mom read the first book soon after she got here, as I was already in the middle of another book. She enjoyed it, and then passed it on to me, and I totally loved it! So before she left, we took a little field trip to the Aro Valley to feel its unique aura, and to be able to say we'd actually been to the place where the book was set.

The excursion was well worth our time, and I can completely see why having been to Wellington in general is not the same. The Aro Valley is generally rather poor, quite artsy, and appears to be full of people who aren't too bothered with what other people think of them, or by the fact that parts of their neighbourhood are slowly returning to wilderness.

We were delighted to find this never-ending flight of stairs leading who knows where. In the book, there are lots of secret paths leading all over the place in the Aro Valley, and even the characters, who know lots of hidden paths, sometimes discover new ones hidden in the undergrowth.

Danyl also describes the "looming" houses perched over the street, and Mom and I could picture one of the more ghastly characters lurking behind the black windows of this tall, thin house in the middle, peering out at passersby.

(Also, notice that one house has been beautifully restored, while several next to it seem to be calmly falling to bits.)

Aro Street runs through the valley, so the characters often spend time on it (or running away from someone down it), and turning up Epuni Street. In fact, when you get to the top of Epuni Street, it rather abruptly turns into a wooded, overgrown area where, in the book, they discover an ancient temple. Standing there looking up, I could imagine that the temple could really be there.

When I talked to Danyl about our excursion, he said if I go back, I should walk a bit further down to Holloway Street, which epitomizes the Aro Valley. So I will have to do that soon.

This is in the more business-minded end of Aro Street, where there is an art gallery where a character works, and a video rental store that the man who inspired another character used to run.

I don't know about the availability of these books in the States, but I highly recommend them, if you like the juxtaposition of humour and satirical horror, with a heavy helping of bizarre, beautifully written with quirky wit and hilarious self-mockery. Oh, and abstract mathematics and occult conspiracies, of course. I have never read anything like these books, but I was hooked from page one, and tore through both books, laughing out loud from time to time. The characters are captivatingly flawed and inexplicably lovable, the plot is intriguing and compelling, and the writing style is delightful. Danyl says that his writing matured a lot in the second book, and I think that I agree - the humour is even more impressively graceful and witty - but I actually liked the plot of the first one the most, so each had its strengths, in my opinion.