The Cursed Bus and other writings

Update July 2020 - This is now available as audio, free on youtube: HERE

This is the third book by this author, all three quite different. The first was a wide ranging novel, the second a transcription of his grandfathers WW2 diaries. This book, is a collection of non fiction stories and essays, and I was gifted a copy by the author.

It is a much more personal book than I had expected, where West puts a lot of himself into print, sharing stories about himself, his family and his thoughts around various themes. Set in various locations - the authors homeland of New Zealand for a large part, also Norway where his presently lives, France, Spain, the Philippines, the UK and Australia.

The book is divided into three distinct sections, each titled.
The first Up High contains four travel memoirs, which consist of interactions with other travellers, dealing with the author approaching middle age, and the travellers he meets being of a different generation. Often funny, but for me, easy to identify with.

The second Biography, does what is says - tells the stories of three New Zealand men - acquaintances of the author, following quite different paths, well summarised in the synopsis on the back of the book as nature worship, alcoholism and social media entrepreneurship. These are more in depth stories than the first section.

The third section Down Low is made up of a story about the author working in outdoor recreation in the South Island of New Zealand (this is the titular story, about a regularly breaking down bus, and is the longest piece in the book), a story about sustainable construction in Australia, another about terrorism and the skewed media reportage in the western world. The final, and shortest story is about a wedding in the Philippines, and the very western disconnect between meat and the animal that it comes from.

This is a short book - less than 180 pages - but is well paced, easy to read, and I would think has at least something most people can identify with. As a collection of short stories it is contemporary, relevant and thoughtful writing, and contains clever observations.

Well worth seeking out (available on TradeMe for NZ readers).
5 stars *****