Catherine Chidgey is an award-winning and bestselling New Zealand novelist and short-story writer. Her first novel, In a Fishbone Church, won the Betty Trask Award, and was longlisted for the Orange Prize. Golden Deed was Time Out’s book of the year, a Best Book in the LA Times Book Review and a Notable Book in the New York Times Book Review. Her fourth novel, The Wish Child, was published in 2016 and won the 2017 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize, the country's richest literary prize.
New Zealand
Catherine Chidgey
All Catherine Chidgey's books
Latest reviews
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“Full of delicious mystery and thrill, Pet showcases manipulation and the unthinkable things people will do when their life and reputation are on the line.”— Chicago Review of Books, Aug 23 2023![]()
“A lingering, haunting book...a landmark in the small but potent canon of contemporary novels about unusual girls reckoning with themselves and the world around them.”— The New York Times, Aug 7 2023![]()
“As satisfying a narrative as Pet is, lingering uncertainty is the source of its real power, enabling it to maintain its hold over the imagination long after the final page has been turned.”— The Guardian, Jul 10 2023![]()
“Layered and suspenseful...Chidgey satisfies and horrifies in equal measure.”— Publishers Weekly, Jun 28 2023![]()
“Damn this book is good. Pet is at once a brilliant coming-of-age thriller and a sharp dissection of racism and misogyny in 1980s [New Zealand].”— CrimeReads, Jun 16 2023![]()
“Pet is a page-turning psychological thriller: tense, uncomfortable and completely gripping.”— New Zealand Herald, Jun 16 2023![]()
"Outside of New Zealand, Chidgey is not as well known as she should be. One hopes that this chilling tale of childhood vulnerability and violence might change that."— Financial Times, Jun 16 2023![]()
“This dark novel probes the power of deception, betrayal, religion, and childhood in every twist of its mesmerizing plot. Lovers of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Donna Tartt's The Secret History will want to read this compelling novel by an award-winning New Zealand author.”— Booklist (Starred review), Jun 1 2023![]()
“Powerful.”— The New York Times Book Review, Jul 15 2021![]()
“The writing is beautifully wrought and the research a result of years of study. The novelist illustrates the senseless cruelty of the regime and portrays its characters convincingly, not as monsters but deluded, indulged and frightened victims of their own stupidity.”— The Jewish Chronicle, May 20 2021![]()
“An extremely emotive and impactful story, set amidst a devastating historical episode that nevertheless provides an element of hope at its core. This book will stay with me for a long while yet: a magnificent accomplishment.”— Buzz Magazine, May 10 2021![]()
“An insightful account of human nature set against the chaos of war. It is a moving examination of the human condition and well worth serious attention.”— Historical Novels Society, May 10 2021![]()
“Are there new ways to tell stories of the Holocaust that are neither crass nor exploitative? In this moving and unusual novel, the New Zealand writer Catherine Chidgey shows that there are. Her novel is a fine achievement.”— The Sunday Times (UK), Apr 25 2021![]()
★ “With its multiple registers and complex view of humanity, this marks a vital turn in Holocaust literature.”— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review), Mar 18 2021![]()
“Remote Sympathy is beautifully written and much easier to read [given] its subject matter. [The] historical context of Remote Sympathy feels real, and wears the weight of Chidgey’s years of detailed research lightly.”— The Spinoff NZ, Nov 2 2020
New Zealand
