Pearly Gates

Funny intriguing lyrical insightful and ultimately moving this entertaining novel from one of this country's best writers both skewers and celebrates small town New Zealand.Pat `Pearly' Gates has achieved a lot in his life and evinces considerable satisfaction in his achievements. He has a reputation as a former Otago rugby player and believes he would have been an All Black but for sporting injuries. He runs a successful real-estate agency in a provincial South Island town of which he is a second-term mayor. Popular happily married well established he cuts an impressive figure especially in his own eyes. But will his pride and complacency come before a fall? And if so how will that come about?