Taylor, Marisa: Bleak City

Alice Moorhouse is beginning to find her way as a young woman when her life is disrupted by a series of earthquakes. As she and her family deal with the physical and emotional toll of living in a broken city, their recovery is confounded by greedy insurers determined to protect their profits, bumbling bureaucrats unable to coordinate their efforts and uncaring politicians determined to spin the recovery for their own ends. How does Alice build a life in a devastated city and discover who she really is?

Set in post-earthquake Christchurch, New Zealand, Bleak City tells the story of a young woman and her wider family as they contend with the issues and frustrations that followed the quakes. It is a social commentary, taking a critical perspective of the actions of politicians, insurers and community leaders, while encouraging self-reflection on who we want to shape ourselves to be. Although titled Bleak City, it does not see a bleak future for Christchurch, but it does recognise that post-quake life for many people is a struggle.