The New Ships - by Kate Duignan

Told by Nick Blake                                                   Audio adaptation by Carol Dee

Peter Collie is adrift in the wake of his wife’s death. His attempts to understand the turn his life has taken lead him back to the past. After living abroad he returns to New Zealand where he meets Moira. She is an amateur painter who carries secrets of her own. After her death an unexpected revelation forces Peter to navigate anew his roles as a husband, father and son.

‘The New Ships is a gripping novel about lost children and a very fine portrait of family life in all its beauty and   betrayal. Intricate, compelling, and deeply moving.’ 
— Anna Smaill

‘Beautifully fluid, elegant, assured and calm . . . intellectually right and morally true.’
— Emily Perkins

 

  • The New Ships - Ep 1

    23 Oct 2018

    Peter Collie has returned to his job in the law firm in Wellington after months of dealing with his wife, Moira's illness and one month after her funeral. Aaron, his son, is to leave for London. Audio

  • The New Ships - Ep 2

    24 Oct 2018

    Aaron cancels a last meeting with Peter before flying out. Peter discovers Aaron's credit card statement as well as another intriguing letter. Audio

  • The New Ships - Ep 3

    25 Oct 2018

    Peter farewells Aaron at the airport. Moira's mother, Claudia is there and suggests Peter take an overseas guided tour. Peter is not enthusiastic and returns to work. Audio

  • The New Ships - Ep 4

    26 Oct 2018

    Peter takes an estate agent to Castlepoint to look at selling the bach. It is a week since Aaron left and Peter has lost track of him so he enlists the help of a friend in London to track Aaron down.

    …

  • The New Ships - Ep 5

    29 Oct 2018

    Peter visits Aaron's girlfriend, Arkenese, to see if she knows anything about Aaron's whereabouts. There's a problem with the Castlepoint bach and, as well, Peter's boss is not happy. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 6

    30 Oct 2018

    With gentle pressure being applied at work Peter is in desperate need of a break-through in his search for Aaron. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 7

    31 Oct 2018

    The question of Aaron's paternity may have been resolved but his whereabouts is much less clear to Peter. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 8

    1 Nov 2018

    Peter has reluctantly sold the Castlepoint bach but is consumed with doubts about when, or if, he will see his son again. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 9

    2 Nov 2018

    Peter’s quest to contact his son Aaron in Pakistan is stymied by a longstanding dispute amongst the Gupta family. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 10

    5 Nov 2018

    Peter connects with a young man, Matthew, a political activist he knows through his voluntary legal-aid work who reminds him of his head strong son Aaron. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 11

    6 Nov 2018

    Peter had a momentary call with his son Aaron in Pakistan which serves to remind him of the great distance between them, meanwhile an imposing warship anchors in Wellington harbour. Audio

  • The New Ships Episode 12

    7 Nov 2018

    With the drama on the harbour behind him Peter is left thoughtful but what hangs over him more than anything else is the need to find his son, Aaron. Audio

Kate Duignan’s first novel, Breakwater (2001), was published by Victoria University Press. She has published in Landfall and Sport, and has been anthologised in The Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories (2009) and The Auckland University Press Anthology of New Zealand Literature (2012). Kate received the Louis Johnson New Writer’s Bursary in 2002, and held the Robert Burns Fellowship at Otago University in 2004.  Kate lives in the Aro Valley, Wellington, with her partner and children.

 

 

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