Author(s): Suzanne Ashmore

Novel | Aotearoa Fiction | Fiction Reductions

`Meltwater' is a homage to the power of storytelling. Of a woman's unique journey to find her `self'. A journey made difficult by the fact that Elizabeth has thirteen different `selves,' all part of her, all created to bury shocking memories of abuse. Related with evocative immediacy, narrator Beatrice, uncovers stories from Elizabeth's early life, traversing moody, physical and emotional landscapes. Vivid and visual vignettes are set against the brooding backdrop of the Southern Alps, the brittle cold of the Central Plateau and the volatile, volcanic slopes of Mt Taranaki, to where Elizabeth finally escapes, hoping for a new start. But once there, disquieting incidents shatter her mind, forcing interim asylum care. A place of silence, sorrow and loss. Even so, after leaving hospital and ultimately achieving the stability she desires, unsettling shadows still infiltrate the present. With therapist guidance, Elizabeth must choose, leave her story suspended in a glacial state, or make the torturous journey with her alters to the tower of forgotten memories. She has no choice; with that first step, her story, frozen in time has begun to melt. There is no turning back. Yet, an ultimate mystery persists and Elizabeth is haunted by this unknowing. Will the final story free her? Poignant, cruel, chilling, yet life affirming, written with lyrical, edgy grace.

Review: `You will never have read a novel quite like `Meltwater', This is groundbreaking fiction; skilfully crafted, intensely personal and profoundly courageous.' - SUE MCCAULEY, OTHER HALVES

Author Biography: Suzanne Ashmore was born in 1953 in New Plymouth, under the shadow of the mountain, grew up on the shaky ground of Christchurch, and now lives in Auckland, looking out across the shining waters of the Waitamata Harbour. After completing a Teacher's Certificate and a Diploma in Speech / Language Therapy at Canterbury, she worked with severely language impaired adults and children for twenty-eight years. With the urge for a mid-life career change, Suzanne began a degree in Fine Arts at Elam, graduating with an MFA (hons), then worked as an artist until embarking on writing her autobiographic novel Meltwater. Suzanne is married with three children, combines writing with art, grows vegetables all year round and is accompanied throughout the day by a small black spaniel.