Rain

Shonagh Koea exhibits her wonderful ability to combine the wry with the poignant in this finely observed short story.

When asked which was her daughter, Alyssum's mother always used to say, 'The ugly one.' Alyssum has since made a life for herself, away from her old home. But her mother is now in hospital, suffering from dementia. Can Alyssum reach through the pain of the past or will her mother have the last word?

Funny, touching, painful, this is quintessential Koea territory.