A House Built on Sand
Tina Shaw
Maxine has been losing things lately. Her car in the shopping centre carpark. Important work files—and her job as a result. Her marbles? ‘Mild cognitive impairment’, according to the doctor. Time for a nursing home, according to her daughter, Rose.
Rose has her own troubles with memory: a recurring vision of a locked cupboard, claustrophobic panic. Something in the shadows. Something to do with the old family house in Kutarere.
Back in that house by the beach, Maxine and Rose try to find their bearings. But they can’t move forward without dealing with the past—and the past has a few more surprises in store.
Full of suspense and heartbreak, A House Built on Sand is a haunting novel about family secrets, the hazards of memory and ghosts that linger.
andA House Built on Sand
‘A beautiful story, this tangled yarn of dementia and love—harrowing, haunting and tender.’
‘Splendidly controlled.’
‘Powerful.’
‘Instantly absorbing.’
‘Reads as a love letter wrapped into a mystery, crafted and polished with the skill of someone who’s been doing this for decades…A House Built on Sand explores the intricacies of minds, memories and relationships, warmly and acutely observed, with a persuasive plot.’
‘An absorbing, haunting novel, beautifully written with compelling characters…This is a book to savour.’
‘An absorbing, haunting novel, beautifully written with compelling characters.’
‘A work of wisdom and maturity, likely to be read and treasured by many.’
‘Maxine’s chapters were written so well, like shifting sands, the present and the past mixing together…There is a lot of thought-provoking material within this story…Another good one for book clubs.’
‘Warmly told, finely crafted, convincing story centring on a NZ woman, apparently in early cognitive decline but also keeping secrets, who is cared for by a dedicated daughter.’
