Quote by Keri Hulme: “What is real? What is imagination? They are so close together.”

This question delves into the blurred line between what we perceive as reality and what we create in our minds. It makes us think about how our thoughts and imagination can deeply influence our experience of the world, sometimes making it hard to tell the difference.

Hulme's novel often uses magical realism and explores the subjective experiences of characters, reflecting a literary trend in the late 20th century to question objective reality and integrate indigenous spiritual perspectives that often transcend Western empiricism.

New Zealand novelist of Māori, Scots, and English descent, best known for her debut novel The Bone People, which won the Booker Prize in 1985. Her work draws deeply on Māori spirituality, mythology, and the New Zealand landscape. She lived most of her life in Okarito on the South Island's West Coast.