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‘It’s like Succession, but with alpacas.’
—Toby Manhire, The Spinoff
The alpacas are nervous. Accusations are flying about a rigged election, a mysterious illness is spreading, the Alpaca News is being censored by higher powers, and skullduggery is threatening the Breeders Showcase.
Amidst a mass of self-interested parties, a forthright vet and a diplomatic engineer strive to protect the herds and restore democracy.
By turns vital, farcical, heartbreaking and chilling, the much-anticipated alpaca novel by award-winning writer Duncan Sarkies is a wild and tender leap – or, more accurately, pronk – into the heart of alpaca breeding, and a snapshot of a world at a crossroads.
‘I cannot think of another New Zealand writer who comes close to Sarkies’ restless intelligence, swift shifts of tone, technical control across several genres and sheer creative inventiveness.’ —Fiona Farrell
‘Any book about an election, political intrigue and general ratfuckery is going to grab my attention. An allegorical narrative that is most definitely of its time. Sarkies asks important questions, challenging his readers and doing it in an accessible way. I loved it.’ —Grant Robertson
‘I laughed, I cried, I got riled up.’ —Claire Mabey
‘Gripping, intriguing, satisfying. The best contemporary book I’ve read for ages.’ — Marion Castree, Unity Books
Duncan Sarkies has written several plays, a short story collection and two novels. His novel Two Little Boys was adapted in 2012 for the screen, with the screenplay co-written by Duncan and his brother Robert. He and Robert also co-wrote the film Scarfies (1999). Duncan was awarded the Sunday Star-Times Bruce Mason Playwriting Award (1994) and the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for his play Saving Grace (1995). In 1998, he won the Louis Johnson New Writers’ Bursary, and his short story collection, Stray Thoughts and Nosebleeds (1999) won the Best First Book of Fiction Award at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 2000. He was one of two recipients awarded the Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship in 2015, and in 2023 was the recipient of a residency at the Michael King Writers Centre.
Cover artwork: Rieko Woodford-Robinson
Cover design: Todd Atticus
