I read this over two days as it was fairly un-put-down-able. Most of the stories are linked by the characters of Bette, whose home of many years is condemned after the Christchurch earthquake of 2011, her daughter Bronwyn, her granddaughter, Flick and some other relatives. There are also some stand alone stories. But they all focus on the long lasting damage that the earthquakes created, both physically and mentally.
Amy Head writes so well about place and time, she creates characters quickly but they are real, they matter, they are human, flawed and brave and funny and sad. She has a gift for a turn of phrase that encapsulates a moment: two examples:
"Flick's hair was thick and curly. there was a green clip in it doing nothing, holding on for dear life." p.13 Biographical details.
"They turned off the state highway at the old pub and into the bulb of the cul-de-sac..." p.36. Emergency Procedures.
The stories are lightly connected by people trying to negotiate a changed Christchurch, and over the stories we follow some characters, in particular Flick, Bette's granddaughter.
The first story, Biographical Details, is about Bette now living in a unit with a shipping container in the front of it. Christchurch became renowned for using these containers for everything, including popup shops, for years after the quakes. There are lovely ideas told in short lines of beautiful description. And we first meet Flick and are shown the unsettled relationship she is in.
The last story, Leap, is back at Bette's house, still empty because of insurance hassles, a major scandal for people trying to move on from red listed homes. But Flick finds a tidy squatter living there when she goes to check on the home she remembers from her childhood. And the final lines finds the little group in a darkened house coping with another huge earthquake. The Kaikoura one??
Amy Head shows that when people live through a life changing trauma, it affects their view of the world. In one story, Someone to Heart-Emoji, about online dating for older people, the man starts telling a story that horrifies the woman. He seems to have no idea that talking about animals caught in collapsing earth would inevitably bring back memories of February 2011.So there is a progression over the stories that the reader follows by understanding what has happened to these people.
This was an excellent read because of the deftness of writing and the character formations. adult-lit fiction history ...more Barnaby HaszardAuthor 1 book12 Read

Head's Christchurch reminds me of how the landmarks of its flat terrain are its streets. The way Bealey and Moorhouse border the central city at its north and south. The way Pages and Ferry tell you whether you're heading north of the harbour to New Brighton or south to Sumner. Post-quake, these streets were even more the arteries of the city, especially where they were closed off with chicken wire fencing and so many road cones. In the rubble of her telling, the people of this Christchurch are as battered as the city itself, constantly alert to the next possible threats, struggling to focus. So this short book has occupied my thoughts and dredged my memories before I move on and forget Christchurch once more, because my Christchurch of the 2000s no longer exists. Erin Grigson Baylis705 3

As I've said before, it's hard sometimes to rate a book of short stories. However, I think most of these stories were 4 star worthy or higher.
This opened my eyes a bit to post-quake Christchurch. The desolation. The heartbreak. The small details that didn't make the news. All of it.
These stories were poignant and some were funny. Some were sad and some were brave.
8/10 and I definitely recommend to New Zealanders and those wanting to view Christchurch's past through a different lens. Lucy251 1 follower

A short collection of short stories centred around a young woman Flick and her family as they navigate post earthquakes Christchurch, new relationships, aging and aftershocks. As with most collections I found this to be a mixed bag but the characters are well realised and the city, complete with liquifaction and cones feels a character in its own right. Claire Downey62

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