While we may be lacking the castles and abbeys of the gothic tradition, two exciting NZ authors, Laura Borrowdale and Laura Vincent (Ngāti Māhanga, Ngāpuhi), make a strong case for a New Zealand version of the genre with their latest books.

Vincent describes her Ockham NZ Book Awards shortlisted debut novel Hoods Landing as a “Southern Gothic–via–rural South Auckland anti-tragedy” and the horrors of domestic banality in Ōtautahi Christchurch and wider NZ are the foundation for Borrowdale’s unsettling sophomore short story collection Dead Ends.

They meet Emma Gleason to discuss the quiet unease in their books, and their thoughts on what is distinctly “New Zealand” about their brand of gothic.