They who Do Not GrieveSia Figiel's powerful, poetic skills weave together the voices of three generations of women from two Samoan families. Their dream worlds and realities intermingle, just as the histories of each generation run through the next. At the center of the novel is the Samoan woman's tattoo, the malu, believed to be brought from Fiji by Siamese twins. The ghosts of the twins watch over the women whose lives are stained by an unfinished tattoo. The shame and grief of not completing the tattoo ceremony go hand in hand with the shame and grief of illicit love and broken promises. |
Contents
Malu | 3 |
Meeting Mrs Winterson and her friends | 12 |
To be earless | 27 |
Copyright | |
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Alisi Alofa Apia asked Auntie Auntie Ela baby beautiful became Bill Sparks birds blood Bloody Islander body breadfruit called Captain Harris centipede Cloud Woman colour dead dog-girl dogs Don Ho dream Ela's eyes face father feel feet Fiji Filiga forest fucking girl gonna grandmother hair hand happened Harcourt hear heard heart island Junot knew Lalolagi lasagne laugh lavalava listen lived look Malu mango tree married Martin mean meant memory middle Moon mother mouth moving naked never night nose-flute pain palagi perhaps Phillip Pisa remember Richard Pryor Samoa Sefulu shit Sia Figiel silence sitting sleep smile someone standing started Stone Woman stop story Suck suddenly sweat talking tattoo tattooist Tausi tears tell thighs things thought told took village voice waiting walked wanna Winterson women words