While reading Ordinary People Like Us by Kelly Ana Morey I could feel the mauri from each character coming off the pages, the author created a book that felt truly epic and special. Sadly, during the process of editing the book, Kelly Ana Morey passed away in September 2025. Her friend and fellow author Catherine Chidgey along with editor Harriet Allan were asked by her kaitiaki if they could continue to edit on her behalf and I think they did an amazing job of completing the novel.
Ordinary People Like Us centers around five generations of Māori women from the 1940s to the late 1990s who, like the author, trace their whakapapa to the far north, in particular Te Hāpua. I’m usually in the Far North every summer so I loved having that personal connection. I loved getting to know Annie and her two daughters Jen and Lorna, reading their stories made me realise they are anything but ordinary, while also seeing how similar they all are and how they keep getting pulled back to the north to their Māori foundations.
I could see just how much research had gone into the book, particularly around the places and buildings that feature throughout the novel. I had so much nostalgia for spots mentioned in Auckland back in the day that I used to frequent like Verona or Brazil cafe on Karangahape rd (who did the best pancakes and milkshakes btw!).
I also really enjoyed the spiritual aspect of hearing from whānau who have passed in the form of kēhua (ghosts), it gives a peaceful and hopeful aspect to the book and they can be a pretty cheeky bunch of characters too! This is one book to take your time with and enjoy the journey of the story of celebrating Māori heritage and family connections. I’ll leave you with one of my favourite and powerful lines from the book:
“You’re Māori because those women who came before you were Māori. It’s not about waving your bone carving around. There’s more than one way to paddle a waka.”