The Great Outdoors

This highly original collection of stories is a rich, eclectic mix of genres and characters. The stories are immediately engaging and accessible but also deftly layered with symbolism, irony, pathos and humour. They are mostly quintessentially New Zealand stories, with keenly observed insights into NZ culture, both Māori and Pākehā (NZ European). The text includes some Māori language, and glossaries are included. Carstensen is well travelled, and a few stories in this collection are inspired by his experiences in Asian countries in which he has lived and worked. There are disturbing stories of child trafficking in China and Indonesia and modern-day slavery in Southeast Asia. Carstensen is a Christian writer, though not so much a writer of Christian stories, as his stories tend to be more worldly, carnal and gritty than would sit comfortably with many Christian readers. However, his writing does explore some challenging Christian themes.