We Know Not When

Part historical reimagining, part ghost story, We Know Not When follows a young life full of promise, then takes the reader into a strange realm after Emily Keeling’s death when she finds herself stranded at Symonds Street Cemetery, trapped between this world and the next. Will Emily ever find her way to the other side? And how will her mother and others left behind make sense of this painful and unexpected brutality? Worlds shattered and survival uncertain: here we have a work of fiction inspired by real historical events that explores the lasting impact of male violence.

     We Know Not When recreates the fragile coming-of-age of a young immigrant who unwittingly merges into the tapestry of 19th century Auckland. The novel is a moving depiction of young love, and the spectral presence of those who refuse to be forgotten.   

– Tina Shaw

             A compelling and imaginatively told tale, with letters, diary entries and Emily Keeling’s haunted voice from beyond the grave. This is the story of a terrible but all too common murder of a young woman, resonating from nearly 150 years ago to 21st century readers.

– Diane Brown