Pātea Boys is a collection of interconnected short stories all set in Pātea, a small town on the west coast of the North Island. Most are contemporary, but a few are historical, and these really pack a punch, adding a lot of important context to the collection. Since the stories are interconnected, we meet many characters more than once and build up a full, rich picture of the community as a whole - and the sense of community is strong in this book. I love that it is bilingual. I read in English, but had I more than a smattering of te reo, I'd have been able to turn the book over and read it in Māori. Such a great way of supporting those who are partially fluent in te reo, allowing them to flip to English if and when needed. Ngarewa really excels in bringing his characters to life. I could easily picture them in my head, and the love that he has for them is obvious. He's a Pātea boy himself, and while this is a work of fiction, the spirit of the place, the essence of the characters is clearly based on real lived experience. Most stories are heavy on dialogue. It feels authentic and showcases the characters' personalities. There's also a lot of humour in this book, which balances but never seeks to mask the darker aspects. I definitely recommend reading it, but before you start, be sure to head to YouTube and have the video to Poi E by the Pātea Māori club lined up and ready to go. Trust me, you'll want to watch it - probably more than once!